An Air India Boeing 777-200LR operating a flight from Delhi to San Francisco on 6 June was forced to divert to Magadan in rural Russia following an engine issue. The aircraft was operating flight AI173 when it developed a "technical issue en route with one of its engines" and was landed safely in Magadan, says the Indian flag carrier. The flight was carrying 216 passengers and 16 crew. Air India adds that another aircraft was scheduled to depart from Mumbai on the afternoon of 7 June to pick up the affected passengers and continue onwards to San Francisco, subject to regulatory clearances. Magadan is in a remote part of eastern Russia. Data shows that the airport handles only 46 domestic flights per week, operated by Aurora, S7 Airlines, IrAero and Aeroflot. Fleets data indicates that the aircraft, registered VT-ALH, is managed by the airline and owned by Kai Ting Aircraft LLC. It has been operated by Air India since it was first delivered in August 2009. Although the details of the engine issue are unclear, the 777-200LR may face regulatory hurdles to returning from Magadan given the wide-reaching US and European sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. India has resisted imposing sanctions on Russia, and its airlines continue to have access to Russian airspace. It appears, however, that there may be some impact on spare parts or support provided by engine manufacturer General Electric to resolve the issues and allow the aircraft to ferry out of Magadan.

The US Federal Aviation Administration has issued ground delays at New York LaGuardia and Newark Liberty because of reduced visibility from wildfire smoke drifting to the USA from Canada. At midday 7 June, departures to LaGuardia were delayed by an average of 119min due to low visibility, the FAA's national airspace system status shows. Departures to Newark International were delayed by an average of 82min. The FAA is also slowing aircraft traffic bound for Philadelphia International from the US East Coast and Midwest due to reduced visibility from wildfire smoke, the agency notes in a Twitter post.

Papua New Guinea's national carrier Air Niugini has finalised an order for two Boeing 787-8s that will replace its ageing 767-300ERs and support the growth of its long-haul network. Neither Air Niugini nor Boeing have disclosed if the aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 or General Electric GEnx engines. "Signing this contract with Boeing for the purchase of two modern, widebody 787 Dreamliners will enable Air Niugini to grow its network across Asia, Australia, and New Zealand and fulfill its mission as the premier airline in Papua New Guinea, providing the best air service in the region," says Gary Seddon, acting chief executive of Air Niugini. The finalised order ends a process that commenced back in 2008 when the airline first mooted placing an order for two 787-9s. It subsequently ordered a single 787-8 in 2010, only for that order to be cancelled in 2019, fleet data shows. The carrier operates two 767-300ERs are over 23 and 31 years old, and are leased from Icelandair. Air Niugini uses the widebodies to operate flights from Port Moresby to Brisbane, Hong Kong, Singapore and Palau. shows.