Two Planes Developed Problems Leading To The Extended 'Layover'

An Air France Boeing 777 carrying passengers for Paris to Shanghai, China made an unscheduled landing in Irkutsk, Russia, leading to a three-day "layover" in Siberia for the travelers last week.

MSN reports that crew made the precautionary emergency landing after an acrid smell and light smoke were noted on board the airplane. The landing was normal, and no one was injured.

But the plane could not be repaired quickly, and Air France dispatched a second Boeing airplane to Irkutsk to continue the flight. But that plane was unable to take off for an undisclosed reason, and the passengers were again stuck. To complicate matters, without Russian visas, they were unable to access their luggage, and had to be accompanied by government personnel wherever they went, according to the Moscow Times.

After two very cold days, Air France got a third plane to Irkutsk, and the passengers finally were able to continue their flight without further incident. But the 11-hour flight had by that time turned into a nearly-four-day ordeal.

In a statement, Air France apologized to the passengers, calling the incident an "exceptional situation."

(Image from file)

FMI: Original report