Fuel Leak Forces IndiGo's Kolkata-Srinagar Flight To Make Emergency Landing In Varanasi, 166 Pax Evacuated
IndiGo Flight 6E-6961 from Kolkata to Srinagar on Wednesday made an emergency landing at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, due to a fuel leak. "All 166 passengers and crew were safely evacuated. Airport authorities are investigating the incident. The situation is under control, and normal operations have resumed," Varanasi Police said, as per news agency IANS.
Air India Flight Returns After Suspected Technical Issue
In a separate incident, an Air India flight bound for Newark, United States, from Mumbai, had to return shortly after take-off following a suspected technical snag.
“The crew of flight AI191 operating from Mumbai to Newark on 22 October, made a precautionary air-return to Mumbai due to a suspected technical issue. The flight landed safely back in Mumbai, and the aircraft is undergoing necessary inspections,” Air India said in a statement on Wednesday.
The airline did not provide details on the total number of passengers on board or the exact timing of the departure and return in its preliminary statement. Normally, flight AI191 departs Mumbai at 01:10 hours IST and reaches Newark at 07:55 hours EDT. The return journey from Newark to Mumbai, flight AI144, was cancelled as a result, IANS reported.
This latest Air India incident comes shortly after a Delhi-bound flight faced a technical issue at Milan Airport last Friday, stranding over 250 passengers just ahead of Diwali. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner (VT-ANN) encountered a fault upon landing in Milan, preventing it from operating the return journey to Delhi.
To assist stranded passengers, Air India scheduled an additional flight from Milan to Delhi on October 19 to bring home 256 travellers who had been stranded since October 17. The airline offered immediate support including hotel stays, meals, and options for full refunds or complimentary rescheduling.
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