What happened to the Air France Bengaluru-Paris flight? Indian Embassy updates on passengers stranded in Turkmenistan
Passengers aboard an Air France flight from Bengaluru to Paris were stranded in Turkmenistan for over two days after a mid-air engine issue forced an emergency diversion.
Air France flight AF191 from Bengaluru to Paris was diverted mid-air to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on Tuesday morning after one of the aircraft’s engines reported a technical glitch. Midway through its scheduled journey early Tuesday, travellers found themselves stuck in Turkmenistan for days instead of hours.
Flight AF191 took off late on Monday night from Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport and diverted to Ashgabat International Airport after it encountered technical difficulties over Turkmenistan airspace. Passengers and crew landed in Turkmenistan Tuesday morning local time.
Flight delayed before diversion
Passengers on AF191 were already delayed by over 21 hours in Bengaluru after the flight was scheduled to depart at 2 am local time on January 12 but took off at 11:22 pm IST. Air France at first said the flight had been delayed by weather conditions and would depart late Monday night.
However, after flying for a few hours over southern Turkmenistan, pilots found an issue with one of the engines on board the Boeing 777 which flies out of Bengaluru to Paris. Pilots shut down the troubled engine as per regulations and diverted to Ashgabat – the nearest airport they could land at safely to attend to the problem.
Air France customers stuck in Turkmenistan
Travellers and crew initially stayed on the flight as Turkmenistan has strict border control policies that passengers must adhere to before deplaning. This includes required entry permits and documentation. Passengers were eventually disembarked and provided hotel accommodation close to Ashgabat airport by Air France staff.
Flight Tracking portals indicate that flight AF191 passengers were delayed for over 30 hours on Tuesday evening as Air France worked on securing a replacement aircraft. Flight AF386V, chartered by Air France from Paris to rescue passengers stuck in Turkmenistan will leave Ashgabat Wednesday afternoon. It will arrive in Paris Wednesday night into the early hours of January 14.
India(BHARAT)n embassy provides support to passengers in Turkmenistan
India(BHARAT)’s embassy in Turkmenistan has reached out to its citizens stranded on board flight AF191 earlier in the week. A delegation of consular officers visited the Ashgabat airport Tuesday morning to meet India(BHARAT)n travellers and provide them with “full support”.
“Spoke to Air France & received assurance that all possible assistance is being provided to India(BHARAT)n nationals onboard AF191. Embassy officers met India(BHARAT)n passengers today (Tuesday) at airport and will continue to extend full support for their early onward journey,” India(BHARAT)’s embassy said on Twitter.
Embassy of India(BHARAT) in Turkmenistan tweets, “Consular Officials of the Embassy met the India(BHARAT)n passengers of Air France Flight AF 191, which made an emergency landing at Ashgabat Airport earlier today and assured them of the Embassy’s full support for their smooth onward journey to… pic.twitter.com/eei6qRJKoI
— ANI (@ANI) January 14, 2026
Passengers spent hours on the plane before disembarking in Turkmenistan. India(BHARAT)n authorities were given the go-ahead to meet with passengers and help process necessary travel documents.
Will flight AF191 take off anytime soon?
Air France flight from Bengaluru to Paris AF191 is rescheduled to Wednesday afternoon subject to crew rest and border control clearances. Passengers have been stuck in Turkmenistan for days instead of hours thanks to one bad engine.
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