IndiGo flight lands with '1-2 minutes' of fuel left
An IndiGo flight traveling from Ayodhya to Delhi landed with almost no fuel left. The incident took place on April 13 when the flight was forced to reroute to Chandigarh due to poor weather conditions in Delhi. This led to unsuccessful landing attempts and a subsequent change of course, which eventually led to the exhaustion of almost all fuel left in the aircraft.
Details of flight's diversion and landing
The incident came into light after Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Satish Kumar, who was onboard, shared his "harrowing experience" on social media. As per Kumar's account, around 4:15 pm, the pilot announced adverse weather conditions in Delhi but assured passengers of sufficient fuel for 45 minutes of holding time. However, after two unsuccessful landing attempts due to weather, the decision was made to divert to Chandigarh.
Passenger's account of flight's final moments
Kumar reported that the passengers were informed about the diversion 75 minutes after the initial fuel announcement. By this time, several passengers and a crew member had started feeling unwell due to panic. The aircraft eventually landed in Chandigarh at 6:10 pm, almost two hours after the holding fuel announcement. Kumar claimed that he learned from crew members that they had landed just in time with only a minute or two of fuel remaining.
Indigo's response to safety concerns
In response to Kumar's claims, IndiGo issued a statement asserting that there was enough fuel on board for the entire flight duration and all actions taken by the pilot adhered to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The airline insisted that there were always sufficient fuel reserves for diversion as per regulations. Furthermore, it argued that the go-around maneuver performed by the captain was in accordance with SOPs.
'Gross safety violation', says retired pilot
The incident has raised questions about the airline's adherence to SOPs. Kumar tagged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation in his social media post, suggesting that this could have been a close call. Retired pilot Shakti Lumba labeled the incident a "gross safety violation" by IndiGo and called for a DGCA investigation.
