Second mid-air emergency: Guwahati-Chennai IndiGo flight makes emergency landing in B'luru

In yet another mid-air emergency within days, an IndiGo flight operating from Guwahati to Chennai made a distress “Mayday” call on Friday evening, forcing an emergency landing at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport. This comes just days after an Air India flight issued a similar Mayday alert, which failed and led to the Ahmedabad flight crash.

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According to reports, the IndiGo aircraft, which was carrying 168 passengers, faced a critical fuel shortage while flying approximately 35 miles away from Bengaluru. Upon detecting the issue, the pilot immediately communicated with Bengaluru Air Traffic Control (ATC), requesting permission for an emergency landing.

Responding swiftly, the ATC issued a ground stop and alerted all necessary emergency units. Firefighters and medical teams were stationed at the runway as a precautionary measure. The flight successfully made an emergency landing at 8:20 PM without any injuries or damage reported.

The sudden crisis caused visible panic among passengers. Many were seen sitting tensely on the edge of their seats, gripped by anxiety until the plane touched down safely. Following the landing, refuelling was conducted promptly at the airport.

IndiGo officials later confirmed that the pilots were replaced in Bengaluru. The aircraft resumed its journey to Chennai with a fresh crew and landed safely at 11:25 PM.

This incident, coming so soon after the Air India tragedy, has raised concerns over flight safety and operational protocols, particularly regarding mid-air fuel monitoring and emergency response readiness.