An Air India passenger Boeing 777 aircraft AI-183 flying from New Delhi to San Francisco was forced to land in the Russian region of Siberia at the Krasnoyarsk International Airport, on 18^th July 2024, after the crew detected a potential issue in the cargo hold area, after smoke detectors were activated, according to Air India, in its second such incident on the route in just over a year.

The incident puts added spotlight on the embattled aircraft manufacturer, Boeing, whose aircraft was used in the flight, as several Boeing planes have been involved in air incidents in recent past.

Most of other airlines including European Union airlines, avoid Russian airspace because of war in Ukraine, but Air India uses that route, giving it a flying time  and cost advantage over US-bound flights.

Representatives from the Indian consulate in Moscow have travelled overnight  and are working with Russian authorities to allow passengers to move to hotels which have been on standby throughout the night. Air India is sending replacement plane to take the passengers on their onward journey. The airport said the flight’s crew had been moved to hotels and passengers are stranded in the terminal building in the absence of Russian visas.