(Image credits: ANI)
NEW DELHI: Air India sent a Boeing 787 Dreamliner (VT-AND) Tuesday from Delhi to Ulaanbaatar to fly home the 245 people of a diverted India-bound from San Francisco (SFO) that had landed in the Mongolian capital on Monday. The aircraft is expected to bring on Wednesday morning to IGIA the 228 passengers and 17 crew members of a Boeing 777 (VT-AEH) that had diverted while on its way from SFO to Delhi via Kolkata operating as AI 174 following a suspected snag. The alternate aircraft took off from Delhi at about 4 pm (IST) Tuesday according to flight tracking sites. This flight AI 183 will “return with the affected passengers on Wednesday morning” to Delhi, said an AI spokesperson.The Indian Embassy in Mongolia quickly came to the aid of everyone on board the diverted flight. It arranged for transit visas which enabled them to leave the airport and go to hotels arranged by AI. Ulaanbaatar is an offline airport for AI as it doesn’t fly there and therefore has no staff stationed in Mongolia.Given these limitations, some passengers stranded there were unhappy. “There is no one from AI to help us here. There has been vague information about when we will return home,” P K Singhal, former president president & WTM of MCX Ltd, who was onboard AI 174, said.Airline sources say it despatched an alternate aircraft as soon as it got the required clearances for the same. “Air India, along with local authorities and the Indian Embassy in Mongolia, have been looking after the passengers and crew, including providing them hotel accommodation. Guests have been kept informed about the arrangements being made to fly them to Delhi. At AI, safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew remain top priority,” an AI spokesperson said.The Indian Embassy in Mongolia said on X Tuesday afternoon: “On Nov 3, 2025, AI 174 operating from SFO to Delhi via Kolkata, made a precautionary landing at around 7.59 pm at Ulaanbaatar International Airport. On receipt of information from Air India, one hour prior to the landing, a team of Embassy officials were immediately deputed at the airport to facilitate immigration and hotel stay of the 228 passengers plus crew members. With assistance of the embassy consular team, all immigration & visa facilitation, transportation, hotel accommodation was arranged in coordination with the Mongolian authorities. The passengers are being looked after.”“AI has informed that the recovery aircraft from India is likely to arrive in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia by Tuesday evening and passengers will return to India (same night) itself. Embassy of India is extending all possible assistance to the passengers and Air India,” the embassy added.The over 16-year-old Boeing 777-200 long range had taken off from SFO at 2.25 pm (local time) Sunday for Kolkata from where it would have left for Delhi. In the recent past, AI’s SFO-Delhi flight has at last twice diverted to Russia. In June 2023, passengers on one such flight that had diverted to Magadan in Russia finally reached home 57 hours after leaving SFO, counting in their 39-hour unscheduled halt in Magadan. In this case, AI had given a full refund to the 216 passengers and also a voucher for future travel. July 2024 saw a Delhi-SFO flight diverting to the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk following a snag. This time, however, AI was able to send an alternate aircraft from India fairly quickly.