Interglobe Aviation Ltd.'s (IndiGo) flight 6E 6504 from Agartala to Delhi, diverted to Lucknow after its pilot declared an emergency while in mid-air, according to sources in the know on Tuesday.
The pilot suspected a fire in the cargo department while the plane was in the sky and decided to make a precautionary landing at Lucknow Airport. This turned out to be a false alarm.
The pilot declared the emergency at 6:29 p.m. IST, landing at 6:31 p.m. at Lucknow Airport, where a full emergency was declared, as reported by NDTV. The plane parked at the bay at 6:33 p.m. and completed deboarding at 6: 35 p.m. The false alarm was identified at 6:39 p.m., with the emergency being subsequently withdrawn.
The aircraft also underwent safety checks with IndiGo's technical staff on standby.
"IndiGo flight 6E6504, operating from Agartala to Delhi, was diverted to Lucknow following a smoke warning indication in the aircraft's cargo area.
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Lucknow Airport immediately activated its emergency response protocols. Full fire and rescue, ambulance, medical, security and terminal support were deployed to ensure a safe and smooth handling of the aircraft, passengers and crew," the airport's official statement said.
"The aircraft landed safely at Lucknow Airport at 18:29 IST with 103 passengers and 6 crew members. All necessary support was provided, and the situation was handled smoothly with no untoward incident," it added.
This development comes after an IndiGo flight, 6E 97, was diverted to Ahmedabad on Sept. 10 following a bomb scare and landing safely at around 5:40 PM.
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