New Delhi: An IndiGo flight travelling from Agartala to Delhi was diverted to Lucknow on Tuesday evening after a smoke warning indication was detected in the aircraft’s cargo area, prompting the airport to activate its emergency response protocols.
IndiGo flight 6E6504, carrying 103 passengers and six crew members, landed safely at Lucknow Airport at 6.29 pm. The aircraft was received by emergency response teams as a precaution following the warning.
The Lucknow airport immediately put its full emergency preparedness measures into action, deploying fire and rescue personnel, ambulances, medical teams, security staff and terminal support teams to ensure the aircraft could be handled safely and passengers and crew received all necessary assistance.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident earlier this month, an Air India Express flight from Varanasi to Delhi also made a precautionary landing at Lucknow airport on September 3 morning after a smoke detection alarm in the aircraft’s cargo hold was activated, sources said.
Preliminary checks, however, found no signs of smoke or fire.
Flight IX 1253, carrying 155 passengers, took off from Varanasi around 8 am. Shortly after departure, the cargo hold smoke alarm went off, prompting the pilot to contact Lucknow Air Traffic Control and seek permission for an emergency landing.
The aircraft landed safely at Lucknow airport at 8:52 am, following which airport emergency teams, fire brigade personnel and technical experts rushed to the aircraft. All passengers and crew were deboarded by 9:02 am, sources said.
An Air India Express spokesperson said the crew chose to divert the flight to Lucknow as a precaution after detecting a technical issue, prioritising passenger safety.
The airline said all passengers were provided refreshments and that an alternative aircraft was being arranged on priority to fly them to Delhi.
The aircraft was subsequently moved to a hangar for inspection. Preliminary checks found no evidence of smoke or fire, while an investigation is underway to determine what triggered the alarm, sources said.
