IAF Guides IndiGo Flight to Safe Landing in Srinagar After Pakistan Denies Airspace Access
NEW DELHI: On May 21, an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Srinagar encountered severe turbulence and a hailstorm near Pathankot, prompting the pilots to seek safer routing. Initially, the crew requested permission from Lahore Air Traffic Control (ATC) to deviate into Pakistani airspace to avoid the hazardous weather, but the request was denied due to a NOTAM issued by Pakistani authorities prohibiting Indian aircraft from entering their airspace. The pilots then considered returning to Delhi but ultimately decided to press on to Srinagar, navigating through challenging conditions with professional assistance from the Indian Air Force (IAF).
According to IAF sources cited by ANI, the IAF provided critical support by offering control vectors and groundspeed readouts, enabling the IndiGo flight (6E-2142), an Airbus A321neo (VT-IMD), to land safely at Srinagar airfield with 220 passengers on board, including TMC MPs. The aircraft sustained damage to its nose radome, and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has grounded it for a thorough investigation.
The DGCA reported that the aircraft, cruising at 36,000 feet, entered a thunderstorm, triggering multiple warnings, including angle of attack faults, loss of alternate law protection, and unreliable backup speed scale. The pilots faced maximum operating speed and repeated stall warnings, with the aircraft experiencing a descent rate of up to 8,500 feet per minute. The crew manually flew the plane through the storm until exiting the hazardous conditions, then declared a PAN PAN urgency call to Srinagar ATC and followed radar vectors to complete a safe landing with auto thrust functioning normally.
IAF sources noted that the Pakistani NOTAM, in effect until midnight on May 23, barred Indian-registered aircraft from Pakistani airspace, a restriction that influenced the flight’s navigation decisions. The DGCA’s probe continues to examine the incident, highlighting the pilots’ skill in managing the crisis and the IAF’s role in ensuring a safe outcome.
