'1-2 minutes of fuel left': IndiGo passenger faces 'harrowing experience'

A passenger on a Delhi-bound IndiGo flight from Ayodhya reportedly faced a 'harrowing experience' after the aircraft attempted to land twice but failed

An IndiGo flight from Ayodhya to Delhi on Saturday, April 13, reportedly had a close shave after it was forced to divert to Chandigarh due to low fuel levels, according to a passenger. The incident has raised safety concerns, with passengers and a retired pilot alleging that IndiGo may have breached Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Satish Kumar, who shared his "harrowing experience" on social media, stated that the flight (6E2702) was scheduled to depart Ayodhya at 3:25 pm and arrive in Delhi at 4:30 pm.

However, just about 15 minutes before the scheduled landing, the pilot announced that due to bad weather in Delhi, they wouldn't be able to land there. The aircraft circled the city and tried to land twice, but both attempts were unsuccessful, he said.

Kumar further stated that the pilot informed passengers at 4:15 pm that they had 45 minutes of holding fuel. Yet, after two unsuccessful landing attempts and what he described as a "wasted" amount of time deciding the next course of action, the pilot finally announced at 5:30 pm, 75 minutes later, that they would divert to Chandigarh.

"By that time, a lot of passengers and one of the crew staff started puking out of panic," Kumar recounted.

"The plane finally managed to land at Chandigarh Airport at 6:10 PM, 115 minutes after the announcement about having 45 minutes of holding fuel. Got to know after landing that we landed in the nick of time, with only 1 or 2 minutes of fuel left, from the crew staff," he added.

Kumar also tagged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation in his social media post, questioning whether SOPs were followed and if this was a close call.

Retired pilot Shakti Lumba referred to the incident as a "gross safety violation" by IndiGo and urged the DGCA to investigate.

"After two missed approaches, a diversion is mandatory," Lumba wrote on X. "Still holding instead of diverting and then landing allegedly on fumes is a gross safety violation. The Captain has no business being in command if the report is correct."

Some social media users have pointed out that Flightradar data seems to indicate only one missed approach and go-around, followed by a cancelled second approach and an immediate diversion to Chandigarh.

Meanwhile, IndiGo is yet to issue a statement regarding the alleged incident.