Rama Krishna Sangem
An IndiGo flight travelling from Guwahati to Chennai with 168 passengers on board was forced to make an emergency landing at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru on Thursday (June 20) night after the pilot issued a ‘Mayday’ alert due to low fuel levels, according to a report by The Times of India.
Flight 6E-6764, operated by an Airbus A321, departed Guwahati at 4:40 pm and initially attempted to land in Chennai at around 7:45pm. However, the pilot carried out a ‘go-around’ manoeuvre — also known as a balked landing — after the aircraft’s landing gear briefly made contact with the runway.
“After getting the distress call, the ATC (Air Traffic Control) alerted the on-ground staff members who swung into action. Medical and fire services personnel were in place. The aircraft landed safely at 8:20 pm,” the Times of India reported, quoting sources at the Kempegowda International Airport.
May Day call just within a week
The incident comes just a week after Air India Dreamliner flight to London crashed shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad. Earlier on Friday, an IndiGo flight headed to Madurai experienced a technical issue while in the air and requested clearance to return to Chennai, according to sources. The aircraft, which had around 68 passengers on board, landed safely, and all passengers were deplaned following proper safety protocols, the sources added.
This Mayday call has become a scary thing after the ill-fated Air India 787 Dreamliner crashed in Ahmedabad recently. May Day is derived from a French word, ‘M aider means In need help. In pronunciation it sounds like May Day, equal to SoS.
