Plane with hundreds of passengers skids off runway in Russia

A flight from Magadan to Moscow skidded off the runway during take-off due to a technical malfunction, Russian authorities reported on January 22.

According to the Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor’s Office, there were 335 passengers on board. The authorities confirmed that no injuries were reported.

The Prosecutor’s Office said the airport remains closed following the incident. Magadan and Kamchatka transport prosecutors are overseeing the protection of passenger rights and ensuring airlines provide mandatory services. The rescheduled flight to Moscow is planned for the following day.

The regional transport prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into compliance with aviation safety regulations. The interregional territorial office of the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) is also participating in the inquiry.

Authorities noted that this is not the first recent aviation disruption in the region. On 5 December, a flight operated by S7 Airlines was forced to make an emergency landing at a reserve airfield in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky due to adverse weather conditions in Magadan Oblast.

By Vugar Khalilov