Another Air India Flight Diverts to Russia

The Newark to Delhi flight made an unscheduled landing in Moscow.

An Air India Boeing 777-300ER (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

[ News ]December 2, 2024 4:20 pm ET

By Ryan Ewing

An Air India flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Delhi diverted to Moscow early Sunday. The unscheduled landing marks the second time one of the carrier’s flights diverted to Russia in less than four months.

According to Flightradar24 tracking data, flight 106 – a Boeing 777-300ER registered as VT-ALJ – departed Newark on Saturday morning before diverting to Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport after approximately 10 hours in the air.

The airline’s flight status page confirmed the diversion. Flight 106 landed in Moscow just after 5 a.m. local time before proceeding to Delhi approximately three hours later.

Air India 106 diverts to Moscow (Photo: Air India Website)

In September, an Air India Boeing 787-8 from Delhi to Birmingham, England, diverted to Moscow with technical issues. Earlier this year, a Delhi to San Francisco flight operated by Air India made an unscheduled landing at a Siberian airport.

Air India cut scheduled flights to Russia in 2022 but continues to overfly the country on some flights, including to North America. Most Western airlines remain barred from overflying Russia due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

It remains unclear as to why Air India 106 diverted over the weekend. Some early unconfirmed reports indicate a passenger died on board the aircraft.

An airline spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment.

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Ryan Ewing

Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.

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Author

Ryan Ewing

Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.
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