Latest news with #OwaisMaqbool
Hans India
22-05-2025
- Climate
- Hans India
'Near-Death Experience': Mid-air scare after Delhi-Srinagar flight faces hailstorm
Srinagar/New Delhi: Over 200 passengers on IndiGo flight 6E 2142 from Delhi to Srinagar had a scary experience when the plane faced a sudden hailstorm, people familiar with the matter said. Airport officials said the plane landed safely at 6:30pm at Srinagar airport. In a statement, the airline said the flight and cabin crew followed established protocol and the aircraft landed safely in Srinagar. 'The airport team attended to the customers after arrival of the aircraft, prioritizing their well-being and comfort. The aircraft will be released post necessary inspection and maintenance,' the statement said. An official at Srinagar airport said the aircrew and passengers are safe and the plane was declared 'aircraft on ground' by the airline. 'I was in the plane and am heading back home from Srinagar. It was a near death experience. The nose of the plane is was panic and people were screaming. Everyone was scared,' said Owais Maqbool on X. Flights diverted Meanwhile, at least 10 flights were diverted to nearby airports, and over 50 flights delayed between 7:45pm and 8:45pm, officials aware of the matter said. An intense dust storm, followed by intense showers and hail hit New Delhi on Wednesday evening, impacting flight operations at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI). The flights were impacted due to wind shear -- strong winds blowing in the opposing direction and rain, officials said. Both take-offs and landings are impacted in such a scenario. IMD officials said a peak wind speed of 74 km/hr was reported at around 8 pm. Palam also recorded a sharp drop in temperature — from 37°C at 7:30 pm to 23°C at 8:30 pm. In a post on X, Air India issued a travel advisory asking passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport and to allow extra time for the journey. Indigo said heavy rains and thunderstorms in Delhi, Chandigarh and Kolkata was impacting flights and asked passengers to check their flight status before heading for the airport. There are chances of a similar dust storm and thunderstorm on Friday as well with gusty winds likely to touch 50 km/hr. No such storm is forecast on Thursday. There was also a sharp fall in temperature following this spell, dipping from 37°C at around 7:30 pm at Palam to 23°C at 8:30 pm. IMD data showed 12.1mm of rainfall was recorded at Safdarjung till 8:30 pm; 2.1mm at Palam; 13.5mm at Mayur Vihar and 5mm at Pitampura.
Metro
21-05-2025
- General
- Metro
'Near death experience' after bird strike batters plane with 227 passengers
An IndiGo flight carrying 227 passengers was forced to declare a mid-air emergency after its nose cone was torn apart. Halfway into the journey from Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi to Srinagar the Airbus A321 was battered by a violent hailstorm. What began as a routine flight quickly turned into a nightmare as the plane then began rattling by severe turbulence. It was at this point that a flock of bird struck the jet, leaving a large hole in the nose and endangering those on board. Pilots reported the emergency to air traffic control at Srinagar, making a narrow escape. Owais Maqbool, who claimed to be one the passengers, described the flight as a 'near death experience', adding that it was a 'miracle' that the plane managed to land. He wrote on X: 'I was in the plane and heading back home from Srinagar… It was near death experience… the nose of the plane is damaged. 'There was panic and people were screaming. Everyone was scared.' Footage shared online shows the horror inside the cabin as passengers prey for survival while the plane shakes. The crew of the Airbus A321 is now being applauded after the flight did not end in tragedy. A statement from the airline, cited by Times of India, said: 'IndiGo flight 6E 2142 operating from Delhi to Srinagar encountered sudden hailstorm en route. 'The flight and cabin crew followed established protocol and the aircraft landed safely in Srinagar. 'The airport team attended to the customers after arrival of the aircraft, prioritizing their wellbeing and comfort. The aircraft will be released post necessary inspection and maintenance.' Bird strikes are common in the UK – in 2022, there were more than 1,400 incidents reported. Most did not cause severe damage, but they can lead to engine fire and emergency landings. More Trending Engines could stall or shut down if birds are sucked into them, but pilots typically have time to account for this and make an emergency landing. An early theory in the December's plane crash in South Korean, in which 179 people were killed, was that it was caused by birds. Feathers were discovered in the engine of the aircraft, which crashed on the runway At Muan International Airport before bursting in flames. Since then, the South Korean government ordered all its airports to install bird detection cameras and radars in response to the country's worst-ever aviation disaster. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Tube trains forced to skip Liverpool Street station after flooding MORE: Signal system meltdown causes severe delays on London Underground lines MORE: Lufthansa flight went 10 minutes without a pilot after he fainted in the cockpit
