New Delhi, Sep 15 — IndiGo flight 6E 6504 operating from Agartala to Delhi was reportedly diverted to Lucknow on Tuesday after its pilot declared an emergency mid-air over a suspected fire in the aircraft’s cargo department.
The pilot decided to make a precautionary landing at Lucknow Airport after detecting what was suspected to be a fire warning in the cargo section.
The aircraft landed safely and subsequent checks determined that the alert was a false alarm, as per reports.
According to details reported by NDTV, the pilot declared the emergency at 6:29 p.m. IST, following which the aircraft landed at Lucknow Airport at 6:31 p.m. A full emergency was declared at the airport as the aircraft approached.
The aircraft was parked at the bay at 6:33 p.m., while all passengers completed deboarding by 6:35 p.m. The suspected fire alert was identified as a false alarm at around 6:39 p.m., after which the emergency was withdrawn.
The aircraft also underwent necessary safety checks, with IndiGo’s technical staff kept on standby to assess the aircraft and ensure it was safe for further operations.
The incident comes just days after another IndiGo flight was diverted following a bomb scare. IndiGo flight 6E 97, operating on September 10, was diverted to Ahmedabad after a crew member found a piece of paper bearing the word “Bomb” inside the aircraft, according to media reports.
The flight landed safely at Ahmedabad at around 5:40 p.m. and the airline initiated necessary security checks in accordance with standard protocols. The aircraft was carrying 107 passengers and six crew members, all of whom were reported safe at Terminal 2 of the airport, according to police.
IndiGo subsequently arranged an alternate aircraft for the affected passengers to continue their onward journey. The replacement flight was scheduled to depart at around 8:30 p.m.