Air India to operate relief flight to bring 228 passengers from Ulaanbaatar

Air India will operate a relief flight on Tuesday to bring back 228 passengers who are stranded in Ulaanbaatar after their San Francisco-Delhi flight was diverted to the Mongolian capital on Monday due to a technical issue.

The relief flight will return with the passengers on Wednesday morning, the airline said.

There were 245 people in the plane, including 228 passengers and 17 crew members, a source said on Monday.

"Air India will be operating a relief flight to ferry the passengers of flight AI174 (San FranciscoDelhi of 02 November), which was diverted to Ulaanbaatar on Monday. The ferry flight AI183 is scheduled to depart Delhi this afternoon and return with the affected passengers on Wednesday morning," the airline said in a statement.

The relief flight will be operated with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

The statement also said the airline along with local authorities and the Indian Embassy in Mongolia, has been looking after the passengers and crew, including providing them hotel accommodation.

On Monday, the Tata Group-owned carrier said, "AI174m operating from San Francisco to Delhi via Kolkata, made a precautionary landing at Ulaanbaatar after the flight crew suspected a technical issue en route."  The Boeing 777 aircraft, which operated the flight, had landed safely at Ulaanbaatar.