IndiGo flight diverted to Imphal following dust storm at Dibrugarh airport

An IndiGo flight from Ahmedabad with 144 passengers on board was diverted to Imphal on Sunday after a severe dust storm rendered visibility at Dibrugarh airport "dangerously low", officials said.

The sudden weather shift forced the flight crew to make a swift decision to re-route the aircraft from Dibrugarh to the nearest viable alternative in Manipur, they said.

Flight 6E-6457, operating from Ahmedabad to Dibrugarh via Guwahati, departed from the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBIA) in Guwahati at 10.20 am, an airport official told PTI.

"While it was scheduled to touch down at Dibrugarh airport at 11.15 am, the arrival coincided with a heavy dust storm that significantly hampered operations. Conditions on the ground fell well below the minimum safety thresholds required for a safe landing, and the visibility was dangerously low," he said.

 

With the situation leaving no room for risk, the flight crew opted to divert the carrier to Bir Tikendrajit International Airport in Imphal, the official said.

Dibrugarh airport Director Bangajit Saha said, "Visibility levels at Dibrugarh airport were below the minimum safe requirements at the time. With poor visibility persisting, the crew decided to divert to Imphal as the nearest viable alternative."  The diversion ensured the safety of all 144 people on board, while authorities closely monitored the weather patterns in Upper Assam, he added.

"Once the dust storm subsided and visibility improved to acceptable levels, air traffic control provided the necessary clearance for the flight to return," Saha said.

The flight 6E-6457 eventually departed Imphal and landed safely at Dibrugarh airport at 1,20 pm, approximately two hours behind its original schedule, an official said.