Varanasi: An IndiGo flight from Kolkata to Srinagar had to divert to the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi on Wednesday evening after the pilots detected a fuel leak.
Flight 6E-6961 took off from Kolkata at 2.43 pm and was scheduled to land at Srinagar around 5.45 pm. It landed at Varanasi around 4.10 pm though after declaring an emergency.
All 166 passengers and crew on board were deboarded and taken to the arrival section. The aircraft was then inspected and repairs started.
According to airport officials, the pilot informed the Air Traffic Control (ATC) of the situation and requested priority landing. This was allowed and the aircraft touched down safely. All emergency precautions were initiated.
While an inquiry has been ordered, officials said that repairs were completed and the aircraft took off for Srinagar thereafter. While an aircraft carries more than sufficient fuel for every journey, there can be serious problems if a leak develops mid-air.
After reaching Srinagar, the same flight was supposed to take off for Jammu at 6.25 pm. That flight has now been rescheduled to 9.20 pm. It will reach Jammu at 10.15 pm.
Some passengers who spoke to the media praised the pilots and other crew members for handling the situation calmly. There was no panic on the flight and it landed smoothly despite the emergency, they said.
