Air China flight diverts to Siberia after engine trouble en route from London

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Air China flight diverts to Siberia after engine trouble en route from London

Policy

Brian Kelly, Founder | The Points Guy

By Sky Industry News

Aug 31, 2025

An Air China Boeing 777 traveling from London to Beijing made an emergency landing in western Siberia on August 26, 2025, after experiencing engine issues. The aircraft, operating as flight CA856, was forced to divert to Nizhnevartovsk Airport in Russia. This event is notable due to the ongoing restrictions on flights between the UK and Russia.

The flight departed London Heathrow Airport at 22:43 local time and was scheduled to arrive at Beijing Capital International Airport the following day. However, it landed at Nizhnevartovsk at 08:17 local time instead of reaching its intended destination.

Nizhnevartovsk Mayor Dmitry Koschenko commented on the situation: "Early this morning, a flight from London to Beijing made an emergency landing. There are 267 people on board the aircraft, including the crew. Today, the issue of their temporary accommodation at our airport's international terminal is being resolved, and, accordingly, to wait for the reserve aircraft, which should depart for the passengers in the near future."

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Local authorities and airport management worked together with government officials to accommodate passengers and crew while they awaited further transport. A replacement Air China Boeing 777 arrived from Beijing approximately nine hours after the original plane’s arrival. Technicians and parts were also sent from Air China since local resources were not expected to be sufficient for repairs.

The diversion drew attention because direct flights between the UK and Russia have been banned since April 2022 due to reciprocal sanctions related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to a statement by the UK Government, there has been "a prohibition on any aircraft flying to and from Russian aerodromes from using UK airspace." The rare arrival of a commercial jet that had departed from London caused heightened alert among airport staff in Nizhnevartovsk.

A witness told LBC that "airport services were on high alert for the unexpected guest. It’s not every year that such a flight from the UK arrives in Nizhnevartovsk."

Air China operates as a full-service carrier with hubs at Beijing Capital Airport, Beijing Daxing Airport, and Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. The airline is part of Star Alliance and led by CEO Cai Jianjiang.