London-Heathrow flight to Beijing makes ‘emergency landing’ at Russian airport
An Air China flight from London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) has landed at a Russian airport after reportedly suffering an engine malfunction.
The Air China Boeing 777-300ER departed Heathrow Airport on August 25, 2025, shortly after 22:40, and flew for over five hours before making an unscheduled stop at Nizhnevartovsk Airport (NJC) in Siberia.
According to Russian state news agency TASS, the Air China Boeing 777, registered B-2033, made a successful “emergency landing” while travelling to Beijing.
“While flying from London to Beijing, the crew of an Air China Boeing 777-300 decided to land at an alternate airfield in Russia. The preliminary cause was a malfunction of one of the engines,” said a spokesperson for Rosaviatsia, the Federal Agency for Air Transport in Russia.
TASS reported that Rosaviatsia confirmed that there were 15 crew members and 250 passengers onboard the aircraft.
“Thanks to the professionalism and coordinated work, Boeing 777-300 successfully landed at Nizhnevartovsk airfield 60 minutes after sending the PAN signal,” the agency spokesperson added.
It is understood that a replacement aircraft will arrive at Nizhnevartovsk Airport to take passengers on to China.
According to the Russian news website, local air traffic controllers assisted flight CA856 with information regarding where to land.
It is rare for an aircraft departing the UK to land in Russia due to geopolitical tensions and restrictions on aircraft travelling through Russian airspace.
An unnamed person told Baza 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,” they added.
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The post London-Heathrow flight to Beijing makes ‘emergency landing’ at Russian airport appeared first on AeroTime.
An Air China flight from London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) has landed at a…
The post London-Heathrow flight to Beijing makes ‘emergency landing’ at Russian airport appeared first on AeroTime.
