Lightning Hit Indigo Flight, No One Injured
In Kolkata, an Agartala-bound IndiGo flight was struck by lightning while parked during a thunderstorm, causing a sudden power failure and forcing evacuation of 141 passengers and six crew members. The Airports Authority of India confirmed the incident, stating no injuries were reported. The airline later arranged an alternate aircraft, delaying departure by over three hours.
Lightning Hit Indigo Flight, No One Injured | Sourced
An Agartala-bound IndiGo flight was struck by lightning while parked at Kolkata airport on Friday morning amid a thunderstorm, forcing the airline to deboard passengers and arrange an alternative aircraft for the journey.
According to an Airports Authority of India (AAI) official, the incident took place during prevailing thunderstorm and rain conditions, for which the Airport Operations Control Centre (AOCC) had issued weather alerts.
The aircraft, IndiGo flight 6E6068 (VT-IPW), was on stand at aerobridge 56L when it was struck by lightning at around 9.30 am.
The lightning affected the aircraft's power system, causing a “sudden power off”, the official said.
There were 141 passengers and six crew members on board the A320 aircraft when the lightning struck. No passengers were injured in the incident.
As a precautionary measure, the airline deboarded the passengers and later operated the flight using an A321 aircraft (VT-ICD).
The flight, originally scheduled to depart at 9.20 am, eventually left for Agartala at 12.50 pm.
According to IndiGo, two ground staff were slightly “affected” and were taken to a hospital for treatment. They were discharged immediately after a medical check-up, the official said.
Kolkata and adjoining districts have been witnessing thunderstorms and rain since Friday morning, leading to waterlogging in several areas and traffic disruptions.
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