Boeing plane heading to UK forced to make emergency landing in Russia

5 September 2024, 09:02 | Updated: 5 September 2024, 09:10

A Boeing flight bound for the UK was forced to make an emergency landing in Russia overnight after encountering "technical problems".

The Air India flight from Delhi to Birmingham touched down at Moscow airport on Wednesday evening with some 258 passengers onboard.

The passenger flight was forced to land in Russia after the crew detected a potential issue in the cargo hold area, it was reported.

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The Boeing 787-800 made a safe landing at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow at about 9.30pm local time yesterday without any injuries to the 258 passengers and 17 crew.

The airport said in a statement: "The aircraft’s crew requested an unscheduled landing at Sheremetyevo Airport due to technical problems.

"Airport services promptly responded to the crew’s request and prepared to receive the aircraft according to the applicable emergency plan.

"The foreign crew received full assistance from the Russian airport and specialists under the applicable international convention."

The UK government advises against all travel to Russia amid Vladimir Putin's ongoing aggression against Ukraine.

It is not clear what technical problems the aircraft was facing when it made the unscheduled stop.