IndiGo counters Delhi cop's ‘1 or 2 minutes of fuel left’ post, backs pilot of flight diverted to Chandigarh
A Delhi Police offer had alleged that an IndiGo pilot ‘wasted a lot of time’ mid-air deciding the next course of action.
The pilot of an IndiGo flight from Ayodhya to Delhi, which was diverted to Chandigarh last week due to bad weather in the national capital, executed a "go-around which is in line with the Standard Operating Procedure", the airline said. The statement comes after the airline received criticism following an account by a Delhi Police officer travelling on the flight, alleging that that pilot "wasted a lot of time" mid-air to decide the next course of action.
"This is an absolutely safe manoeuvre. The aircraft had sufficient fuel at all times to divert to an alternate airport, as per regulations," IndiGo said in a statement that it shared on X (formerly Twitter).
The airline said that the plane landed in Chandigarh with "more than sufficient" fuel that would have ensured more than 50 minutes of flying time.
Stressing that passengers' safety is of outmost importance, the airline apologised for the inconvenience caused due to the diversion.
Take a look at IndiGo's full statement here:
Satish Kumar, DCP Crime, took to X to share details of when the flight took off from Ayodhya and when it was scheduled to land in Delhi. He said that fifteen minutes before they were to land, the pilot announced that there was bad weather at the Delhi airport.
"The pilot attempted landing twice, but couldn't due to bad weather and still wasted a lot of time deciding the next course of action."
According to the police officer, it was only after 75 minutes that the pilot informed the passengers that he would attempt to land in Chandigarh.
The plane finally landed in Chandigarh at 6:10 pm, 115 minutes after the IndiGo pilot said the plane had holding fuel for just 45 minutes, Kumar said. The police officer had also alleged that the aircraft had "only 1 or 2 minutes of fuel left".
