Harrowing ordeal: Delhi-bound IndiGo flight lands with just ‘1-2 minutes of fuel left’
Published: Apr 14, 2024, 23:18 IST | Updated: Apr 14, 2024, 23:18 IST
File photo of an IndiGo aircraft
An IndiGo flight from Ayodhya to New Delhi was diverted to Chandigarh on Saturday (Apr 13) after its landing attempts in the national capital failed due to bad weather. Satish Kumar, an officer with the Delhi Police, was aboard the IndiGo flight number 6E2702.
In a post on X, Kumar said on Sunday the flight's scheduled departure time was 3.25 pm and the arrival at 4.30 pm. "Around 4.15 pm, the pilot announced that there was bad weather at the Delhi Airport, and assured that the plane had 45 minutes of holding fuel," Kumar said.
He added that the pilot attempted landing twice, but could not do it due to bad weather "and still wasted a lot of time" deciding the next course of action.
"At 5.30 pm (after a lapse of 75 minutes since the holding fuel announcement) the pilot announced that he’ll finally attempt landing at Chandigarh. By that time lot of passengers and one of the crew staff started puking out of panic," he added.
Had a harrowing experience yesterday with @IndiGo6E Flight No. 6E2702 from Ayodhya to Delhi. Scheduled departure time 3:25 p.m. and schedule arrival time 4:30 p.m.
Around 4:15 p.m. the pilot announced that there’s bad weather at @DelhiAirport. and assured that the plane has 45…
The plane finally managed to land at 6.10 pm at Chandigarh Airport after a lapse of 115 minutes since the 45 minutes holding fuel announcement, Kumar further said.
He pointed out that passengers got to know after landing "that we’ve landed in the nick of time with only 1 or 2 minutes of fuel left from the crew staff."
Several X users reacted to the post.
"Amazing how everyone becomes an aviation expert before the aircraft lands !!" user Many Hats said.
"Had the pilot blundered, you wouldn’t have been able to make this post!" another user said.
"FYI, pilots carry enough fuel for holding (that means making round circles in the air to wait), they also carry additional fuel to make multiple attempts of landing at the original destination airport. Furthermore, if that doesn't work out, they also have reserve fuel," X user Abhishek Agarwal said.
However, IndiGo has clarified that there was sufficient fuel in the aircraft throughout the flight duration.
"IndiGo flight 6E 2702 operating between Ayodhya and Delhi on April 13th was diverted to Chandigarh due to bad weather in Delhi. The captain executed a go-around which is in line with the standard operating procedure. This is an absolutely safe maneuver. The aircraft had sufficient fuel at all times to divert to an alternate airport, as per regulations," an IndiGo spokesperson told the news agency ANI.