12 hours ago
IndiGo's Guwahati-Chennai flight makes emergency landing at Bengaluru airport after pilot's ‘Mayday' call: Report
An IndiGo flight from Guwahati to Chennai with 168 passengers on board made an emergency landing at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) after the captain gave a 'Mayday' call -- a distress call via radio communication - citing insufficient fuel in the plane. The incident comes on the heels of an Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad that claimed the lives of 241 passengers, leaving one survivor. The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had issued a Mayday call shortly before it crashed.
The pilot of IndiGo flight 6E-6764 (A321), which departed from Guwahati at 4:40 PM, attempted to land in Chennai at around 7:45 PM. However, after the aircraft's landing gear touched the runway, the pilot opted for a 'go around' in what is known as a 'balked landing'. 'About 35 miles from Bengaluru airport, the captain made a 'Mayday' call,' TOI reported citing sources.
Describing the situation, a passenger said, 'The sudden and steep climb had many passengers on the edge of their seats, some visibly frightened.' The individual chose to remain unnamed.
Multiple sources at the airport and Air Traffic Control (ATC) confirmed to TOI that the pilot did not attempt a second landing in Chennai. Instead, he chose to divert the flight to Bengaluru.
Sources at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) told TOI:, 'After getting the distress call, the ATC alerted the on-ground staff members who swung into action. Medical and fire services personnel were in place. The aircraft landed safely at 8.20pm.'
Both the pilots involved have been taken off duty, although IndiGo has not confirmed this. The IndiGo plane, which was critically low on fuel, made a safe landing in Bengaluru.
