A Ural Airlines Airbus A320 with about 170 people on board made an emergency landing in a grass field in Siberia's Novosibirsk region on Tuesday, according to Russia's aviation agency Rosaviatsia.
The plane was en route from the Black Sea resort of Sochi to Omsk in Siberia when it was forced to land "for hydraulic failure," investigators said.
The emergency landing occurred near the village of Kamenka at 05:44 Moscow time (0244 GMT), Rosaviatsia said in a statement. The agency added that there were no casualties and that all 6 crew members, 159 passengers, including 23 children, were safely housed in the nearest village without requiring medical assistance.
Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case for the violation of air traffic safety rules. Ural Airlines' General Director Sergei Skuratov said the aircraft would be evacuated and would take at least a month to restore it. The Airbus A320's crew has been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
Skuratov also announced that each passenger would receive compensation of 100,000 rubles (AU $1,600 or US $1,000).
The news of the safe emergency landing received applause at the Eastern Economic Forum, attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The incident comes as Russia’s aviation sector faces challenges from Western sanctions linked to Russian invasion of Ukraine.
