IndiGo Doha-Bengaluru Flight Makes Emergency Diversion To Muscat After Pilot Falls Ill

Bengaluru: A day after an IndiGo flight bound for Delhi was forced to make an emergency landing at Goa airport following a technical snag, another IndiGo flight faced an in-flight emergency on Thursday after its pilot reportedly became incapacitated, prompting the aircraft to divert to Muscat.

The flight, operating from Doha to Bengaluru, declared a Mayday emergency after the pilot fell ill mid-flight, Times of India reported, citing sources. The aircraft was subsequently diverted to Muscat, where it landed safely less than two hours after taking off from Doha.

According to data from a flight-tracking website, the aircraft departed Doha at around 3 am, nearly an hour behind its scheduled departure time. However, less than two hours into the journey, the flight turned around and began its approach towards Muscat before landing at the Oman airport.

Alternate aircraft and crew arranged

IndiGo said it had arranged an alternate aircraft and a fresh crew to take the stranded passengers onward to Bengaluru.

“An alternate aircraft along with a new set of crew has been arranged to continue the journey to Bengaluru. We regret the inconvenience caused to our customers and are making all efforts to minimise it, including offering refreshments and timely updates as they wait for the aircraft at Muscat. The safety of our customers, crew, and aircraft remains our top priority at IndiGo,” the airline said, as reported by Hindustan Times.

The passengers are expected to continue their journey to Bengaluru on the replacement aircraft after the diversion to Muscat.

Air India Express flight diverted to Lucknow

Besides, a Varanasi-Delhi Air India Express flight was diverted to Lucknow over a technical issue, the airline said in a statement. The airline said that the crew operating the plane decided on the “precautionary diversion”, keeping the safety of passengers in mind.