MUMBAI, INDIA —Cyclone Biparjoy forces IndiGo flight to divert; Pilot swapped amid passenger concerns.
On June 14, an IndiGo flight from Lucknow to Mumbai, with a detour to Udaipur and a change of pilot, eventually reached its designated destination after a significant delay. The flight, 6E 2441, lifted off from Lucknow airport at 11:10 a.m., initially expected to touch down in Mumbai by 1:15 p.m.
However, harsh weather conditions thwarted the pilot's attempts to land the aircraft after two unsuccessful efforts at Mumbai airport. According to a HT report, the diversion was prompted by Mumbai Air Traffic Control (ATC) in response to the high winds brought by Cyclone Biparjoy, anticipated to hit Gujarat on Thursday. The cyclone earlier this week compelled a temporary suspension of operations at Mumbai airport.
While IndiGo attributed the failed landing attempts and subsequent diversion to adverse weather conditions, passengers on board contended that the pilot had to abandon two landing attempts in Mumbai and another in Udaipur before finally bringing the aircraft safely to the ground.
Passengers requested a change of pilot, some voicing their grievances on Twitter and tagging notable figures such as Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiaditya Scindia and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). One passenger tweeted, "Flight Indigo 6E 2441 (Lko to Mumbai) not able to land in Mumbai due to poor management of Indigo Team. There are chances either Airbus malfunctioned or pilot not able to handle…Intervention needed."
However, IndiGo clarified that the change of pilot was necessitated by his fatigue, not passenger pressure. The airline stated, "Due to bad weather, the pilot could not land in Mumbai and decided to go to Udaipur… After landing in Udaipur, he said he was fatigued and hence asked for crew replacement. This took some time and the flight left after 6 pm."
Ultimately, the plane arrived in Mumbai around 8 p.m.
