A passenger onboard the Ayodhya-Delhi Indigo alleged that he went through an 'harrowing experience' after the flight was forced to divert to Chandigarh and landed with barely any fuel left.
The incident has sparked safety concerns amid allegations whether IndiGo followed all the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
IndiGo, however, has issued an statement, clarifying that "aircraft had sufficient fuel at all times to divert to an alternate airport, as per regulations."
"Had a harrowing experience yesterday with @IndiGo6E Flight No. 6E2702 from Ayodhya to Delhi. Scheduled departure time 3:25 p.m. and schedule arrival time 4:30 p.m," a passenger named Satish Kumar, who is Deputy Commissioner (Crime) of Delhi Police wrote on X.
Had a harrowing experience yesterday with @IndiGo6E Flight No. 6E2702 from Ayodhya to Delhi. Scheduled departure time 3:25 p.m. and schedule arrival time 4:30 p.m.
— Satish Kumar (@CopSatish499) April 14, 2024
Around 4:15 p.m. the pilot announced that there’s bad weather at @DelhiAirport. and assured that the plane has 45…
Kumar added that that only 15 minutes before the scheduled landing, the captain announced that "there’s bad weather at @DelhiAirport and assured that the plane has 45 minutes of holding fuel."
He went on to say that the pilot did attempt to land twice, but both attempts ended in failure. Kumar complained in his post that the pilot "still wasted lot of time deciding the next course of action."
"At 5:30 p.m. (after a lapse of 75 minutes since the Holding fuel announcement) the pilot announced that he’ll finally attempt landing at Chandigarh," he said.
Kumar said that by that time, a number of passengers and even a member of the crew starting vomiting "out of panic".
"Finally the plane managed to land at 6:10 p.m. at Chandigarh Airport after a lapse of 115 minutes since the 45 minutes Holding fuel announcement. Got to know after landing that we’ve landed in the nick of time with only 1 or 2 minutes of fuel left from the crew staff," the post read.
Kumar, in his post, asked the DGCA and the Civil Aviation Ministry to look into this issue.
Reacting to the incident, the Indian Express quoted an Indigo spokesperson, as saying, "IndiGo flight 6E 2702, operating between Ayodhya and Delhi on April 13, was diverted to Chandigarh due to bad weather in Delhi. The captain executed a go-around which is in line with the standard operating procedure. This is an absolutely safe manoeuvre. The aircraft had sufficient fuel at all times to divert to an alternate airport, as per regulations. Safety of our esteemed passengers is of prime importance to us. We regret any inconvenience that may have been caused due to factors beyond the airline’s control."
IndiGo has recently been in the spotlight over numerous delays and even aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia took notice when a group of protesting fliers sat on the tarmac of the Mumbai airport, furious over their delayed flight. Aviation security watchdog BCAS issued a notice to the company, which ultimately had to pay a Rs 1.20 crore fine for the incident.
In another instance, an IndiGo pilot was punched by a flier who was angered at hearing about a delay.