IndiGo flight bound for Abu Dhabi returns to Kochi mid-air after technical snag

An Abu Dhabi-bound Indigo Flight carrying 180 passengers returned to land in Kochi early on Saturday.

The passengers were later flown to Abu Dhabi on a replacement flight with a fresh crew.

The flight, a 6E-1403, had departed Kochi Airport at around 11:10 pm on Friday. The flight returned at 1:44 am on Saturday after the technical snag.

The passengers were accommodated on another aircraft, which took off at 3:30 am, and they were accompanied by a new set of crew members as the earlier crew had exceeded their flight duty time limits, according to a source. All passengers reached their destination safely.

Indigo has not yet given a statement to explain what occurred. According t o flight tracking platform Flightradar24.com, the flight was an Airbus A320 neo.

Earlier this week, on Tuesday, a Nagpur Kolkata Indigo flight carrying 160 to 165 passengers returned to the airport after a bird strike soon after take-off. A spokesperson for the airline made a statement that said that “the Indigo flight 6E 812 operating from Nagpur to Kolkata on September 2 encountered a bird strike soon after take-off.”

"Due to the requirement of necessary inspection and maintenance of the aircraft, the flight has been cancelled for the day. To minimise inconvenience to our customers, we offered them refreshments, made alternate arrangements and/or a full refund on cancellation, if opted for," the spokesperson said.

India