Storm damages IndiGo flight mid-air, passengers face near-death experience

A routine flight turned terrifying for over 200 passengers aboard IndiGo flight 6E 2142 from Delhi to Srinagar when the aircraft encountered a sudden hailstorm mid-air. The incident, which took place on Monday evening, triggered panic among passengers but ended safely with the flight landing at Srinagar airport at 6:30 PM, according to airport officials.

Eyewitnesses and passengers described the experience as harrowing. Owais Maqbool, one of the passengers, took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and said, "It was a near death experience. The nose of the plane is damaged… There was panic and people were screaming. Everyone was scared.”

The Trinamool delegation aboard the plane included Bengal Minister Manas Bhuiyan, Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien, Mamata Bala Thakur, Nadimul Haque, and Sagarika Ghosh. After narrowly escaping the plane crash, Sagarika Ghosh said, "It felt like life was about to end. Salute to the pilot, who landed us safely. After landing, we saw that the nose of the plane was badly damaged." He stated on Thursday that he had come to visit Kashmir on the instructions of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and will return only after completing the visit.

The airline, IndiGo, issued a statement soon after the incident confirming that the flight and cabin crew handled the situation by strictly following established aviation protocols. The aircraft landed safely and all passengers were attended to immediately upon arrival. “The airport team attended to the customers after arrival of the aircraft, prioritizing their well-being and comfort. The aircraft will be released post necessary inspection and maintenance,” the airline added.

An official at Srinagar Airport confirmed that both the aircrew and passengers were safe. However, due to visible damage, especially to the nose of the aircraft, the plane has been declared "aircraft on ground" until a thorough inspection and maintenance check is completed.