The flight, carrying more than 220 people, including Trinamool Congress MPs encountered sudden hailstorm and the pilot reported the ‘emergency’ to air traffic control at Srinagar airport. The flight landed safely
An IndiGo pilot operating the Delhi-Srinagar flight, which encountered a sudden hailstorm on Wednesday (May 21), at first sought Lahore Air Traffic Control's permission to briefly use the Pakistan airspace to avoid the turbulence, but the request was rejected, sources told PTI on Thursday (May 22).
The incident of flight 6E 2142 encountering severe turbulence is also being probed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the sources further said.
Due to permission not being given, the aircraft maintained its original flight path and encountered severe turbulence, the sources added.
The flight, carrying more than 220 people, including Trinamool Congress MPs encountered a sudden hailstorm, and the pilot reported the "emergency" to air traffic control at Srinagar airport. The flight had landed safely on Wednesday.
In a statement on Wednesday, IndiGo said its flight 6E 2142, operating from Delhi to Srinagar, encountered a 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 the arrival of the aircraft, prioritising their wellbeing and comfort. The aircraft will be released post necessary inspection and maintenance," it had said.
"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. He said the flight landed safely at Srinagar at 6.30 pm.
Following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025, that killed at least 26 innocent people, tensions between India and Pakistan have risen, resulting in Pakistan to close its airspace to Indian carriers. In response, India has also closed its airspace to Pakistani airlines.