To avoid hailstorm, IndiGo requested IAF, Lahore ATC for route deviation, both denied
IndiGo flight 6E 2142, carrying over 220 people, encountered hailstorm and turbulence on its way to Srinagar from Delhi. It requested the Indian Air Force Northern Control and later Lahore ATC for deviation towards the India-Pakistan border. Both requests were denied. The pilots landed safely in Srinagar, but the aircraft's nose suffered significant damage.
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Economic Times
8 hours ago
- Economic Times
India builds aviation megahubs but policy bottlenecks stall global takeoff
Agencies On the tarmac, India looks unstoppable. Delhi's fourth runway and twin elevated taxiways are designed to raise the Capital's throughput to a staggering 109 mn passengers a year - higher than the tally of Atlanta, the world's busiest airport. Two new megahubs - Navi Mumbai, built to accommodate 60-90 mn travellers, and Noida's Jewar airport, planned for 70 mn - are racing towards mid-decade openings. Meanwhile, domestic carriers have ordered 1,359 jets, led by IndiGo's record 500-plane Airbus deal and Air India's 470-aircraft shopping spree. Yet, above this hardware boom hangs a policy bottleneck: 116 air service agreements (ASAs) that New Delhi has signed, dictating the terms of air operations with different nations. While ASAs are meant to facilitate travel between nations, their lack of dynamism leads to exhaustion of capacity and demand pile-up. For instance, the marquee India-Dubai bilateral still caps each side at 65,000 weekly seats, a limit last adjusted in 2014, which is now almost sold out. It is not just the bilateral with Dubai but individual MoUs with the Emirates (Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah) that are holding back Indian aviation growth - considering the strong 40 lakh Indian diaspora in the UAE. The result: fares surge during holiday seasons, middle-class families detour through Doha or Riyadh, and India's new terminals risk turning into gleaming domestic halls attached to half-shut international doors. The stakes are macroeconomic, not merely logistical. GDP boost IATA research finds that every 10% rise in a country's air-connectivity index lifts labour productivity by about 0.07%. For an economy approaching $4.1 tn, even a modest 10% connectivity bump created by phased liberalisation would add $2.9 bn to annual output. Aviation supports 7.7 mn jobs and contributes $53.6 bn, or 1.55 of GDP. Applying the same ratios suggests that closing the connectivity gap could create about 4,10,000 additional jobs across airlines, airports, logistics and supply chains. Namaste India GoI data shows forex earnings from tourists hit ₹2,31,927 cr ($28 bn) from 9.52 mn foreign tourist arrivals in 2023. A single extra million inbound travellers - plausible once fares drop and seats expand - would pump close to $3 bn more into hotels, restaurants and heritage ORF study, 'Combined Skies: Unlocking the Benefits of UAE-India Aviation Liberalisation for Indian Travellers', indicates that each 1% rise in India-UAE passenger volume trims average fares by about 0.2%. Consumer is king Granting Dubai the extra 50,000 weekly seats - roughly a 75% capacity jump - could shave 10- 15% off typical ticket prices, delivering an annual consumer surplus windfall well north of $100 mn. Gradual liberalisation in UAE-India air services can generate benefits for Indian consumers upwards of $1 bilateral quotas frozen while airport and fleet capacity explode is the economic equivalent of building an eight-lane expressway and barricading four lanes at the toll and Southeast Asian hubs are only too happy to harvest the spillover: roughly 30% of India's international traffic now flies to or through the UAE, clogging overseas runways that could just as well be Indian transfer protectionist argument - foreign mega-carriers will cannibalise home airlines - does not hold up against regional evidence. Asean's phased Single Aviation Market lifted third-, fourth- and fifth-freedom restrictions during the 2010s and saw passenger volumes and low-cost carrier penetration soar without extinguishing national carriers need open markets more than shelter, the freeze on rights hurts their ability to sweat those shiny new A321neos and A350s across profitable international debate over air services liberalisation is no longer a niche quarrel between airline CEOs and civil aviation bureaucrats. It is a strategic lever for growth, jobs and global stature. India has runways, terminals, aircraft and, critically, the demand. What it lacks is the regulatory clearance to knit these assets into a seamless Indo-Pacific air-logistics bilaterals - starting with a transparent, time-bound schedule of 15-20% annual seat increases between India and the UAE - would align policy with infra, slash fares, lift GDP, and propel millions of tourists directly into India's burgeoning hospitality alternative is to watch the world's fastest-growing aviation market taxi in circles while its neighbours claim the skies. The runway is built. The engines are spooled. New Delhi's only job now is to tell Indian aviation: wheels-up. The writer is researcher, Centre for New Economic Diplomacy, ORF. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Warren Buffett-fan Pabrai is betting big on Edelweiss' Rashesh Shah. Will it pay off? Operation Sindoor, Turkey, Bangladesh played out as India hosted global airlines after 42 years HSBC's next move could shake up India's venture debt play We are already a global airline, carry the national name and are set to order more planes: Air India CEO Stock Radar: P&G Health stock gave a breakout from falling trendline on weekly charts; check target & stop loss Stock picks of the week: 5 stocks with consistent score improvement and return potential of more than 28% in 1 year Make India's growth story & your stock story same: 6 stocks representing the confidence of growth but confusion of stock prices Are they set for another round of re-rating? 7 power stocks from different segments with an upside potential of 11 to 52%
Indian Express
12 hours ago
- Indian Express
What happened to the IndiGo flight which lost its nose in a hailstorm last month?
On the evening of May 21, IndiGo flight 6E 2142 flying from Delhi to Srinagar experienced extreme turbulence after it was caught in a severe hailstorm. Videos shared by the passengers revealed a scary situation, with the aircraft shaking violently amid flashes of lightning in the windows. And upon landing in Srinagar, it was discovered that a large part of the Airbus A321's nose cone had suffered significant damage due to the hail. We had a narrow escape from Delhi to Srinagar flight indigo. Special thanks to the captain and cabin crew. @indigo @GreaterKashmir @RisingKashmir — I_am_aaqib (@am_aaqib) May 21, 2025 'Flight 6E 2142 encountered bad weather and a hail storm and emergency was reported by the pilot to the ATC. However, the flight landed safely at Srinagar at 8.30 pm. All Aircrfthe inew and passengers are safe,' the spokesperson of the Srinagar Airport Authority said. Thunderstorms pose a grave risk to aircraft and can result in structural failure and loss of control (LOC) accidents. Pilots go to great lengths to avoid or deviate around storm clouds, unless inevitable. Here is everything to know. Thunderstorms are cumulonimbus (CB) clouds, thousands of feet tall and hundreds of miles wide. Some thunderstorm clouds rise over 50,000 ft, well above the maximum altitude an aircraft can climb, and far higher than the ceilings of most aircraft. Types of thunderstorms * Single-cell: The cumulonimbus formation contains only a single thunderstorm cell. The formation of a thunderstorm inside a CB cloud, its maturing and finally its dissipation constitute a cell. * Multi-cell: The cumulonimbus formation contains several thunderstorm cells at different stages of formation and maturation. * Squall line: A multi-cell thunderstorm in which the cells are arranged in a long line stretching hundreds of miles. * Super-cell: A super-cell is a rotating thunderstorm, the rotating movement caused by the presence of a mesocyclone, a rising vortex of air rotating around a vertical axis. Super-cells pack the most destructive weather for flying. * Embedded thunderstorms: Embedded inside ordinary cloud decks, these can be hard to spot visually or without weather radar. Why do thunderstorms pose a threat to aircraft? Thunderstorms pack severe turbulence, hail, heavy rain, icing, lightning, downbursts, microbursts, windshear, updrafts, tornadoes, gusty winds, and engines ingest a lot of water – all of which are a hazard to flying. A thunderstorm's destructive effects can be felt 10 to 20 nautical miles from its outer edges. * Ice accumulation on wings alters their aerodynamic properties and destroys 'lift', the aerodynamic force that keeps an aircraft aloft. Ice crystals can block pitot tubes, the nozzles near an aircraft's nose that feed air to the airspeed indicator. * Lightning can damage an aircraft's skin, communication antennas, electronic navigational equipment and magnetic compass. It can also leave the pilots temporarily blind. * Downbursts, microbursts and updrafts are powerful vertical columns of air moving up or down. An aircraft flying through a downburst, microburst or updraft loses or gains altitude rapidly without pilot inputs. * Windshear is a rogue wind that rapidly changes direction. An aircraft encounters both headwind and tailwind in a windshear. Close to the ground, windshear encounters have led to several fatal air crashes. It was hail that stole the nose cone of the IndiGo A320. In his classic book The Fate is the Hunter, American aviator Ernest K Gann compared his experience of getting caught in a hailstorm with being trapped in a 'tin can' with a 'thousand machine guns' pointed at the aircraft. How does a pilot account for a thunderstorm? A mere thunderstorm warning is not enough basis for an automatic no-go decision. If all pilots of all scheduled flights along a route with a thunderstorm warning were to take a 'no-go' decision outright, it would result in the cancellation of hundreds of flights and impact passengers and airlines. Before each flight, the pilot files a flight plan with the Air Traffic Control detailing all information about the flight: The destination, the aircraft operator, fuel, weight, route, flight time, alternate airports in case of diversion, winds aloft, airspace restrictions, weather en route and at destination (including thunderstorm warning). Thus, the pilot carefully studies the weather before taking a 'go' or 'no-go' decision regarding take-off, even choosing to cancel or delay the departure when necessary. A host of weather bureaus provide weather data to pilots. Aircraft today have onboard weather radar and datalink weather, making modern jets better-equipped to divert or deviate around storms. SIGMET, or Significant Meteorological Information, reports contain warnings about hazardous weather like thunderstorms, turbulence, icing and hail. Onboard weather radar is an effective tool for storm avoidance. Scanning for precipitation, it 'paints' a picture of the weather ahead on a screen in the cockpit: Black patches indicate very light precipitation, green patches indicate light precipitation, yellow medium precipitation, red heavy precipitation and magenta extreme precipitation or turbulence. However, it cannot detect a storm cell hiding behind heavy rain. Every Airbus aircraft is equipped with an Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitor (ECAM), which displays engine and aircraft system information to pilots along with audio alerts, including system failures and corrective actions to be followed. The Airbus computer operates under three flight control laws. Essentially, when an Airbus is flying under Alternate or Direct Law, the flight is warning its pilots: 'Now be careful with what you do, as my ability to automatically keep the aircraft safe has been reduced.' The pilots of the IndiGo flight, 6E 2142, were confident they could steer the plane away from the path of the thunderstorm. To deviate, they first sought permission from the Indian Air Force's Northern Area Control Centre (NACC) to fly towards the India-Pakistan International Border (IB), which the IAF refused. The Indian Express had cited IAF sources who said that the NACC's directive was 'within the frame of the ban on Indian aircraft in Pakistani airspace'. A request to Lahore ATC to permit a brief entry into Pakistani airspace to bypass the storm was also turned down. The pilots considered turning back, since the flight was likely experiencing the effects of the thunderstorm. 'Crew initially attempted to turn back, but as they were close to the thunderstorm cloud, they decided to penetrate the weather,' the DGCA said in a statement. It is generally not recommended to turn back once inside a storm, as turns can overstress the airframe. Flying straight ahead and 'riding the storm' is the best bet to reach smooth air in minimum time. Inside the storm, the A320 was tossed up and down by severe updrafts and downdrafts, climbing and descending wildly on its own. A severe hailstorm pried out the nose cone protecting the weather radar, which is designed to detect inclement weather. This rendered the radar unusable, with the readings of cockpit gauges exceeding their design limits and likely becoming unreliable and unreadable. The IndiGo crew received multiple fault warnings about aircraft systems, including 'Angle of Attack' fault, 'Alternate Law' loss, unreliable speed, stall and overspeed warnings. It is likely that many of the warning messages the IndiGo pilots received were false alarms. But if they lost Alternate Law protection, it definitely increased their workload at a critical time. Despite the scary scenes, the loss of the aircraft's nose did not pose a direct threat to the passengers within the plane. The passenger cabin is essentially a sealed, pressurised tube, and the hole was outside of this area.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Which country in Southeast Asia is the most popular among Indian travellers?
Known for its pristine beaches, affordable stays and vibrant nightlife, this country received the highest number of Indian tourists among Southeast Asian countries in 2024. Can you guess which one? Also read: 10 million tourists visited Asia's 'most-loved country' in Q1; more than Thailand, Indonesia India is one of Thailand's most significant tourism markets, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said in a press release in December 2024 to celebrate the 2 million-mark of Indian tourists in Thailand. In 2023, Indian tourists generated 61.9 billion Baht in revenue for Thailand. More than 35.5 million foreign tourists visited Thailand in 2024. Of these, 2.1 million were Indians. Indian travellers arrive in Thailand around the year. November to February is typically considered the high tourist season, overlapping with winter vacation for schoolchildren in India. Thailand is a popular tourist destination with both bachelors and families. There are plenty of factors that contribute to Thailand's popularity as India's favourite tourist destination, including accessibility, affordability and distance. In its press release, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said: 'Thailand's strong air connectivity with India has been instrumental in fostering this growth. As of June 2024, 342 weekly flights between the two nations offered 2.9 million seats annually, representing a 92.2% rebound from pre-pandemic levels. Recent additions, including Indigo's Hyderabad-Bangkok route, THAI's Kochi-Bangkok flights, and Thai AirAsia's Vishakhapatnam-Bangkok service, have further enhanced accessibility.' Friendly visa policies are another major factor contributing the footfall. Thailand has visa-free entry for Indians 'until further notice'. Popular tourist destinations in Thailand include Bangkok, Phuket, Chon Buri, Krabi, Chiang Mai and Phang-nga. Places like Phuket and Krabi are known for their stunning beaches and water activities. In Bangkok, tourists can enjoy shopping, visit famous temples like Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Arun, or drop into one of the city's famous rooftop bars. Chiang Mai, located in northern Thailand, is famous for its historic temples, night markets, and mountain landscapes. It also serves as a base for visiting elephant sanctuaries.
