Srinagar: A Srinagar-bound IndiGo flight from Delhi with more than 220 people on board experienced turbulence on Wednesday due to inclement weather, prompting the pilot to report the “emergency” to air traffic control at Srinagar. The aircraft later landed safely here and has been grounded, officials said.
Videos of the moments of turbulence have emerged on social media in which panic-stricken passengers could be heard making religious supplications as the plane swayed.
One passenger claimed that the nose of the plane was damaged but there was no official word on it.
“IndiGo flight 6E2142 enroute Delhi to Srinagar experienced bad weather (hail storm), emergency reported by Pilot to ATC SXR (Srinagar),” an official of the Airport Authority of India said here.
He said the flight landed safely at Srinagar at 6.30 pm.
“All aircrew and 227 passengers are safe and the flight is declared AOG by the airline,” he said.
‘Aircraft on ground’ (AOG) refers to a plane that is grounded and unable to fly due to technical issues.
“I was in the plane and heading back home from Srinagar…It was a near-death experience… the nose of the plane is damaged,” Owais Maqbool Hakeem (@owaismaqbool) posted on X.
“The Nose and Right side of the plane was damaged… And we were not allowed to see much as air force police was there,” Hakeem claimed in another post.
Later, in a statement, IndiGo said its flight from the national capital to Srinagar encountered sudden hailstorm and the plane landed safely at the Srinagar airport.
“IndiGo flight 6E 2142 operating from Delhi to Srinagar encountered a sudden hailstorm enroute. The flight and cabin crew followed established protocol and the aircraft landed safely in Srinagar,” the airline said.
According to IndiGo, the airport team attended to the customers after arrival of the aircraft, prioritising their wellbeing and comfort.
“The aircraft will be released post necessary inspection and maintenance,” it added.
