Srinagar-bound IndiGo flight caught in hailstorm; narrow escape, say passengers, including TMC MPs

A five-member delegation of Trinamool Congress comprising Derek O'Brien, Nadimul Haque, Sagarika Ghose, Manas Bhunia, and Mamata Thakur, was on the Srinagar-bound flight that experienced turbulence due to inclement weather.

New Delhi: TMC leader Sagarika Ghose, who was on the turbulence-hit Indigo flight bound for Srinagar Wednesday, termed it a "near death experience."

A five-member delegation of Trinamool Congress comprising Derek O'Brien, Nadimul Haque, Sagarika Ghose, Manas Bhunia, and Mamata Thakur, was on the Srinagar-bound Indigo flight that experienced turbulence due to inclement weather.

The jolts prompted the pilot to report an "emergency" to air traffic control at Srinagar.

Videos of the moments of turbulence shared on social media showed panic-stricken passengers could be heard making religious supplications as the plane swayed.

Some passengers claimed that the nose of the plane was damaged but there was no official word on it.

"IndiGo flight 6E2142 enroute Delhi to Srinagar experienced bad weather (hail storm), emergency reported by Pilot to ATC SXR (Srinagar)," an official of the Airport Authority of India said here.

He said the flight landed safely at Srinagar at 6.30 pm.

"All aircrew and 227 passengers are safe and the flight is declared AOG by the airline," he said.

'Aircraft on ground' (AOG) refers to a plane that is grounded and unable to fly due to technical issues.

A Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation, which included Derek O'Brien, Sagarika Ghose, Nadimul Haque, Mamata Thakur and Manas Bhuyan, was on board the plane, Ghose said.

“It was a near-death experience. I thought my life was over. People were screaming, praying and panicking. Hats off to the pilot who brought us through that. When we landed we saw the nose of the plane had blown up," Ghose said.

"I was in the plane and heading back home from Srinagar...It was a near-death experience... the nose of the plane is damaged," Owais Maqbool Hakeem (@owaismaqbool) posted on X.

"The Nose and Right side of the plane was damaged... And we were not allowed to see much as airforce police was there," Hakeem claimed in another post.

Another passenger said that around 20-30 minutes before landing at Srinagar, there was an announcement to fasten the seat belts as there was turbulence.

"Within two to three minutes of the announcement, there was so much turbulence that all felt it will be our last flight... I am a frequent flyer but I have never experienced such turbulence. But I am very thankful to the pilot for making a safe landing," the passenger said.

Later, in a statement, IndiGo said its flight from the national capital to Srinagar encountered sudden hailstorm and the plane landed safely at the Srinagar airport.

"IndiGo flight 6E 2142 operating from Delhi to Srinagar encountered sudden hailstorm enroute. The flight and cabin crew followed established protocol and the aircraft landed safely in Srinagar," the airline said.

According to IndiGo, the airport team attended to the customers after arrival of the aircraft, prioritising their wellbeing and comfort.

"The aircraft will be released post necessary inspection and maintenance," it added.

"It was a near death experience. I thought my life was over. People were screaming, praying and panicking," Ghose said.

"Hats off to the pilot who brought us through that. When we landed we saw the nose of the plane had blown up," she said, adding, the delegation thanked the pilot after the landing.

The TMC delegation will be in Jammu and Kashmir till May 23 and visit Poonch and Rajouri, besides Srinagar.

The party has said the delegation is there to express solidarity with the people affected by cross-border attacks, and share the grief of the families who have lost their loved ones.