Indore, July 8: An IndiGo flight from Indore to Raipur became an unsettling experience for 51 passengers on Tuesday when it developed a technical fault and made an emergency landing shortly after takeoff.
The aircraft, typically scheduled to depart at 6:35 a.m., left seven minutes early at 6:28 a.m. from Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport. Around 30 minutes into the journey, approximately 100 kilometres away from the Indore airport, the aircraft reportedly experienced a sudden jolt, causing panic among passengers.
Passengers were quoted in various reports recounting the moment the aircraft shook without warning and the panic thereafter. The pilot immediately contacted Indore Air Traffic Control (ATC) after receiving false technical alarms in the cockpit and sought permission to return. The aircraft landed safely back in Indore at 7:15 a.m., and all passengers were safely offloaded.
Following the incident, airline authorities cancelled the flight and offered passengers the choice between a full refund or rescheduling. While airport officials described the alerts as likely being false alarms, maintenance teams have launched an internal inspection of the aircraft to verify the cause and prevent future disturbances.
This isn’t the first such occurrence in recent weeks. Just 15 days back, on June 23, IndiGo’s Airbus A320 Neo, operating as flight 6E 6332 from Indore to Bhubaneswar, returned from the runway due to a technical issue. In that case, over 80 passengers remained inside the aircraft for more than two hours while the problem was addressed.
The recurrence of these incidents has sparked renewed concerns among travellers over safety protocols. While no injuries were reported in either case, the swift and coordinated response by the flight crew and airport staff has been noted. Nonetheless, aviation observers and frequent flyers alike are hoping for a deeper review of maintenance and alert systems, particularly in light of such back-to-back safety scares.
IANS