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Hundreds of passengers on an Air France flight from Bengaluru in India to Paris are enduring a second day in limbo after their plane made an emergency landing in Turkmenistan.
Air France flight AF191 was scheduled to leave the Indian city at 2am local time on Monday 12 January. A technical issue delayed the aircraft in Bengaluru for 21 hours.
The Boeing 777 finally took off at 11.22pm local time for what was expected to be a 10-hour flight to Paris CDG, the main Air France hub. It flew normally over India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. But four hours into the flight, as the plane was flying over southern Turkmenistan, a fault developed in one of the engines. The aircraft descended over and, an hour later, touched down at Ashgabat airport. It arrived at the terminal at 3.38am local time and taxied to a remote stand.
On X, formerly Twitter, user Aniket posted: “My brother’s flight AF191 was supposed to depart at 2am on 12th Jan, got rescheduled to 10pm due to technical issues and now got diverted/stranded at Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. It is expected to depart at 1pm on 14th Jan. No visa.
“The AirFrance helpline is 45min waiting and not providing proper answers. If the aircraft is having issue, they shall urgently arrange alternatives and ensure passenger safety and way we can connect with our family.”
Turkmenistan has strict visa regulations, requiring a letter of invitation issued by an authorised travel agent and a payment of around $50 (£37). The Foreign Office adds: “All travellers by air must undergo a Covid-19 test upon arrival at Ashgabat airport, which costs $31 (£23).” Payment must be made in cash.
Another X user, Ruthvik Ganjur, wrote: “What’s happening with AF191 from #BLR to #CDG? Emergency landing in ASG. No news after that. How are passengers being handled? Their safety? Next update? My parents are on it. Your helplines are hopeless!!”
The aviation news service Airlive reported: “The flight AF191 is now scheduled to resume not today but Wednesday at 1pm with a spare aircraft. Passengers are stranded 33 hours at the airport.”
According to information on Flightradar24, a replacement Air France aircraft departed from Paris CDG to Ashgabat early on Tuesday afternoon to rescue the passengers. It is scheduled to arrive at 8.27pm on Tuesday, local time. Once the crew are rested, a 1pm Wednesday departure for Paris looks plausible.
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Air France Boeing 777 (file picture) (Air France)
The Independent has asked Air France for more information.
Lonely Planet co-founder Tony Wheeler said Ashgabat is even stranger than North Korea’s capital. He wrote: “Pyongyang was easily the weirdest city I’d ever seen until I arrived in Ashgabat.
“It felt like some dystopian, post-disaster movie set where the buildings are untouched, but the people are all gone.”
In 2018 Air France passengers flying from Paris to Shanghai spent three days in Siberia after smoke was detected on board. After diverting to Irkutsk, passengers had their passports confiscated and were kept in hotels.
The airline sent a replacement aircraft which itself “experienced a technical incident” according to Air France. A third plane finally took the passengers from Siberia to Shanghai.
Read more: Iberia flight ‘double diversion’ lands Paris passengers in Luton