Mumbai/New Delhi: What started off as a routine Wednesday evening flight from Delhi to Goa turned into a tense airborne ordeal for passengers on IndiGo flight 6E-6271. The Airbus A320neo, which left Delhi around 8 pm, did not reach its destination. Instead, it was forced to divert and land in Mumbai after one of its engines developed a fault mid-air.
There was no warning at first. The take-off, although slightly delayed by about half an hour, was uneventful. But somewhere between the capital and the coast, something went wrong. The crew alerted the control tower and called for a “full emergency”. The plane, carrying an undisclosed number of passengers, began changing course and was guided toward Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai.
Flight tracking data shows the aircraft circled for close to 17 minutes before touching down. Those minutes stretched painfully for everyone on board. Silence, tension and whispered prayers – a kind of stillness that only people in the air during an emergency can truly understand.
At exactly 9:52 pm, the aircraft touched down safely.
Sources told PTI, “Full emergency declared for IndiGo flight 6E-6271, operating on the Delhi-Goa route after it was diverted to Mumbai due to one engine failure.”
Later, IndiGo issued a brief statement confirming the incident. “A technical snag was detected on flight 6E 6271 while it was on its way from Delhi to Manohar International Airport in Goa. Following procedures, the aircraft was diverted and landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai,” a spokesperson told news agency ANI.
There were no injuries, no panic – just an eerie quiet as the plane rolled to a halt. Many passengers appeared visibly shaken, but grateful to be back on the ground.
Second IndiGo Incident in 48 Hours
Strangely, this was not the only unsettling incident involving IndiGo this week. On Tuesday (July 15), flight 6E-2482, operating from Delhi to Patna, raised eyebrows after it attempted to land at Patna airport and then suddenly took off again.
The aircraft, after briefly touching the runway, climbed back into the air and circled the city three to four times before finally landing safely about five minutes later.
That flight had over 170 people on board. No one could explain the abrupt maneuver, and no official clarification was provided at the time of reporting. Passengers were left bewildered, many later describing the experience as “unnerving” and “confusing”.
Growing Anxiety Post-Air India Crash
These two mid-air scares have reignited worry within the Indian aviation space. Just weeks ago, an Air India flight crashed in Ahmedabad, killing nearly 261 people, including 19 on the ground. It was the worst aviation disaster India has witnessed in over a decade.
Though the two recent IndiGo incidents ended without loss of life, the psychological impact is real. Social media is filled with posts by anxious flyers, many demanding more transparency and accountability from airlines and aviation regulators.
No Official Word Yet from DGCA
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has not so far issued a formal comment on either of the recent IndiGo events. Sources suggest an internal inquiry is likely, especially given the proximity of the two incidents.
As for the passengers on flight 6E-6271, IndiGo is expected to arrange alternate flights to Goa. There has been no announcement regarding refunds or compensation at the time of filing this report.
