New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): An IndiGo flight from Pune to Guwahati was forced to return to its departure airport on Sunday morning after a technical fault prevented its landing gear from retracting after take-off. All 192 people on board, including passengers and crew members, landed safely, officials said.
Flight 6E 623 (VT-IZE) developed the snag shortly after departure. The pilot alerted Air Traffic Control (ATC) that the aircraft’s landing gear remained extended instead of retracting, prompting airport authorities to activate emergency procedures.
The Indian Air Force (IAF), which manages Pune airport, declared a full emergency and coordinated with IndiGo, ATC and other agencies to prepare for the aircraft’s return.
IndiGo Aircraft Makes Safe Landing At Pune Airport
Fire services, ambulances and other emergency teams were placed on standby as a precaution. Before landing, the aircraft made a low pass over the runway to allow officials to visually check the position of its landing gear.
The flight touched down safely at Pune airport at 9.04 am.
Three firefighting vehicles and two ambulances escorted the aircraft to Bay No. 7. After confirming that the aircraft was in a safe condition, ATC withdrew the full emergency at 9.10 am.
The aerobridge was then connected to the aircraft, and all passengers were safely deboarded. No injuries were reported.
IndiGo Arranges Alternate Aircraft For Passengers
IndiGo said the aircraft had returned to Pune after a technical snag was detected shortly after take-off. It added that the aircraft was undergoing maintenance checks and would resume operations only after receiving the necessary clearances.
The airline also arranged an alternative aircraft from Bengaluru to Pune to help affected passengers continue their journey to Guwahati.
All relevant authorities were informed about the incident in accordance with standard operating procedures, the airline said.
