The pilots of the IndiGo Delhi-Srinagar flight that hit extreme turbulence and hailstorm on Wednesday had requested the Indian Air Power Northern Management for deviation in direction of the India-Pakistan worldwide border to keep away from inclement climate, and later contacted the Lahore air visitors management (ATC) to briefly enter Pakistani airspace – at present a no-go zone for Indian plane – to bypass the storm. Each these requests have been denied, and the flight crew determined to undergo the inclement climate and proceed the journey to Srinagar, in accordance with the pilots’ assertion to India’s aviation security regulator, the Directorate Common of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which is investigating the incident.
Emails to the Indian Air Power and the Ministry of Defence searching for their feedback on the matter didn’t elicit a response.
“Whereas cruising at FL360 (36,000 toes), plane entered hailstorm and extreme turbulence close to Pathankot. As per crew assertion, they requested Northern management (IAF) for deviation in direction of left (Worldwide Border) on account of climate on the route, nonetheless it was not authorized. Later crew contacted Lahore to enter into their airspace to keep away from the climate however the identical was refused too. Crew initially tried to return again however as they have been near the thunderstorm cloud, they determined to penetrate the climate. Subsequently, they encountered hailstorm and extreme turbulence. Crew selected to proceed at identical heading to exit the climate by the shortest route in direction of Srinagar (sic),” the DGCA mentioned on Friday.
Within the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror assault, as diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan deteriorated, Pakistan on April 24 shut its airspace to Indian plane and Indian airways for no less than a month, banning them from overflying its airspace. Within the case of the IndiGo Delhi-Srinagar flight, Lahore ATC didn’t permit using its airspace regardless of the pressing climate state of affairs that the plane was grappling with in view of the airspace closure.
Simply noticed some scary turbulence visuals of the Indigo Delhi-Srinagar flight and got here throughout this pic tweeted by @sidhant , noticed TMC RS MP Nadimul Haque, on checking realised their whole delegation headed to Poonch was certainly on the flight.
Glad to listen to that every one the passengers and… pic.twitter.com/sQASKyIyz5— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) May 21, 2025
The Airbus A321neo plane working the flight, 6E 2142, with over 220 folks on board had hit a extreme hailstorm on its option to Srinagar from Delhi, which led to a turbulent jiffy for these on board. The pilots efficiently navigated the storm by flying manually amid huge pace variations and speedy altitude adjustments, and landed safely at Srinagar airport. Whereas nobody on board the plane suffered any damage, the plane’s nostril, which homes the radome, suffered seen important injury. The radome is an aerodynamic weatherproof fairing that protects the airplane’s radar antenna. It’s manufactured with supplies that permit transmission and reception of the radar radio waves with minimal interference.
In response to the pilots’ assertion to the aviation security regulator, the plane sounded numerous technical warnings whereas navigating the thunderstorm. These included warnings of “angle of assault fault, alternate regulation safety misplaced, and backup pace scale unreliable”.
“Attributable to updraft and down draft encountered by the plane, the autopilot tripped and plane pace had huge variations. In consequence, most working pace/most working mach (VMO/MMO) warnings and repeated stall warnings have been triggered. Throughout this era, the plane price of descent reached 8500 fpm (toes per minute). Crew flew the plane manually until they exited the hailstorm,” the DGCA mentioned primarily based on the crew’s assertion.
After finishing up all guidelines actions, the crew declared “PAN-PAN” to Srinagar ATC and requested for radar vectors and made a protected touchdown, the regulator added. PAN-PAN or a PAN name – brief for “doable help wanted” – is used to speak an pressing state of affairs, which could require help, however just isn’t a life-threatening emergency. Radar vectors are particular navigational headings supplied by ATCs to plane to information them alongside the specified flight path.
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“IndiGo flight 6E 2142 from Delhi to Srinagar on Could 21 navigated a sudden hailstorm and landed safely at Srinagar Worldwide Airport. All clients have been attended to upon touchdown and no accidents have been reported. The plane is at present present process mandatory inspection and upkeep in Srinagar and can resume operations as soon as all clearances have been secured. We sincerely thank our clients for his or her cooperation in making certain the protected completion of this flight. As all the time, the protection of our clients and crew stays our highest precedence,” IndiGo mentioned in an announcement on Thursday night time.