IndiGo’s Sharjah-Lucknow flight lands in Karachi after passenger falls ill, dies

IndiGo said the passenger could not be revived and was declared dead on arrival by the airport medical team

A Lucknow-bound flight of Indigo 6E 1412 from Sharjah made an emergency landing at Karachi airport on Tuesday morning when a passenger complained of chest pain. The 67-year-old passenger, identified as Habeeb-ur-Rehman, died before the plane landed at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, people familiar with the matter said.

IndiGo, which has some 730 Airbus SE A320neo planes on order, laid off about 10% of its workforce due to the pandemic-driven slowdown. (REUTERS)

A report Pakistani newspaper Express Tribune said the passenger had suffered a heart attack. The plane was allowed to land on humanitarian grounds by Karachi air traffic control in view of the passenger’s deteriorating condition, the report said.

The plane took off for Ahmedabad where the patient was declared dead.

According to one official at Lucknow airport, the pilot had requested Karachi airport authorities to sanitise the aircraft but the request was not accepted.

The passengers were deplaned at Ahmedabad airport and the aircraft was sanitized before being allowed to proceed to Lucknow.

"IndiGo flight 6E 1412 from Sharjah to Lucknow was diverted to Karachi due to a medical emergency. Unfortunately, the passenger could not be revived and was declared dead on arrival by the airport medical team," the statement by the airline said, according to news agency ANI.