Indigo flight makes emergency landing in Mumbai after technical snag – india news

An IndiGo flight on Monday evening declared mayday and landed in Mumbai with full emergency status. The Airbus A320neo aircraft with registration VT ITA was operating on the Bengaluru- Mumbai sector and was minutes away from its destination, while it declared emergency.

Mayday is defined as a distress call made by the pilot to the local air traffic control (ATC) declaring that there is imminent danger to life.

The flight that took off from Bengaluru 50 minutes after its scheduled time of 6.15 pm, was scheduled to land in Mumbai at 8.20 pm.

However, the pilot declared mayday at 8.14 pm when the aircraft was 40Nm or 75km south of Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). The pilot later lowered the call and requested the ATC for priority landing.

A senior Mumbai airport official said, “The aircraft faced pressurization failure which can be severely dangerous for people on board. At such times, it is crucial for the aircraft to descend and reach 10,000 ft in order to stabilize the situation. In this case too, the pilot first declared Mayday as it needed to decline and fly at a height safe for passengers. After it descended, the pilot lowered the category of his call and requested the Mumbai ATC to allow priority landing.”

During a full emergency, the ground staff including, fire department and ambulances are alerted and positioned at the tarmac in case of any untoward incident.

ATC officials confirmed that the aircraft safely landed in Mumbai at 8.29 pm.

“IndiGo A320 VT-ITA 6E-6449 operating on Bangalore-Mumbai sector had an air-system indication caution during flight. The pilot followed the laid down procedure which required him to prioritize the landing at Mumbai. The aircraft is currently being inspected by the maintenance team. This was not a NEO engine related concern,” an IndiGo spokesperson said.

One of the passengers on board tweeted, “EMERGENCY DESCENT” captain announced during initial descent. Rise in temp and rapid descent followed by parking at isolation bay and fire trucks. No information from @IndiGo6E.passengers have a right to know if something went wrong with the craft. #6E 6449. (Sic).”