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Mumbai-Dubai flight makes emergency landing in Rajkot due to technical issue; all passengers safe
The IndiGo flight was diverted as a precaution, and the aircraft is being inspected to determine the cause of the smoke alert, Rajkot airport authorities said.
An IndiGo flight operating from Dubai to Mumbai made an emergency landing at Rajkot International Airport on Monday owing to a technical issue in the aircraft, the airline said in a statement.
“IndiGo flight 6E 1452, operating from Dubai to Mumbai, was diverted to Rajkot Interational Airport today as a precautionary measure due to a technical issue,” the statement said, adding that all passengers and crew onboard were safe and had been deboarded securely.
The aircraft was diverted after smoke was allegedly detected in the aircraft's cargo hold, ANI news agency cited authorities as saying. Rajkot Airport Director Diganta Borah too confirmed the incident, saying the plane had landed safely.
Aircraft undergoing inspection, alternate flight being arranged
After the emergency landing, the aircraft is undergoing inspection to determine the cause of the smoke alert. “An inspection of the aircraft is currently underway before it is cleared to resume operations,” IndiGo said in the statement. The airline added that an alternate flight was being arranged to complete the journey to Mumbai.
“…In the meantime, we are assisting our customers and making all necessary arrangements to ease the waiting time. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to our customers due to this unforeseen situation. At IndiGo, the safety of our passengers and crew remains our utmost priority,” a spokesperson for the airline said.
The flight was carrying 194 people, including passengers and crew members. The airport management in a statement said it landed after “smoke was detected in the cargo hold area”. An emergency was declared at the Rajkot airport at 2:45 pm after receiving the message, PTI news agency reported. The aircraft landed at 3:27pm.
The pilot had informed the Air Traffic Control about the suspected smoke and sought permission for an emergency landing at Gujarat's Rajkot, inspector KP Taretiya of the Airport Police Station told PTI.
“The pilot suspected smoke inside the aircraft and, as a precautionary measure, made an emergency landing at the Rajkot airport. The aircraft landed safely,” Taretiya said. He said the airline's technical team reached the airport and is inspecting the plane, adding that there was no fire on the aircraft.
