Srinagar: An IndiGo flight (6E6961) operating from Kolkata to Srinagar made an emergency landing at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi on Thursday after the airplane developed a fuel leak while cruising at 36,000 feet. All 166 passengers and crew members on board are safe, officials confirmed.
An official from Indigo Airlines told the news agency Kashmir News Trust that the incident occurred mid-air when the flight crew detected a possible fuel leak and immediately alerted the Air Traffic Control (ATC). Acting swiftly, the pilot requested emergency clearance and diverted the aircraft to Varanasi, where all safety protocols were activated ahead of landing.
“The pilot noticed a technical anomaly related to fuel flow and decided to divert as a precautionary measure. The aircraft landed safely and all passengers were deboarded without incident,” the official said. Emergency response teams and fire tenders were positioned on standby during the landing.
Passengers were later accommodated inside the terminal building as engineers began inspection of the aircraft to assess the nature and source of the leak.
Notably, this is the second Srinagar-bound IndiGo flight to face a technical issue in recent weeks. Earlier, flight 6E6962 operating from Jammu to Srinagar was grounded after developing a technical fault before departure. [KNT]
Comments are closed.