A Delhi to Goa IndiGo flight created tense moments for passengers and crew when it was forced to make an emergency landing at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport following a mid-air engine snag on Wednesday night.
The Airbus A320neo, operating as flight 6E 6271 and carrying 191 travellers, took off from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport in the evening. The trouble began when the aircraft was about 100 nautical miles north of Bhubaneswar. Officials said the crew detected a malfunction in engine number one, prompting them to issue a “PAN PAN PAN” radio signal, which is an international call meaning the situation is urgent but not immediately life-threatening.
Mumbai airport authorities declared a full emergency around 9.35 pm. Firefighters and ambulances were kept on standby. Thanks to the crew’s calm handling of the emergency and strict following of safety procedures, the aircraft landed safely in Mumbai at 9.53 pm—slightly ahead of its expected time. The emergency was officially withdrawn minutes after the aircraft had safely taxied to its parking bay. All passengers and crew disembarked safely and were assisted at the terminal.
IndiGo released a statement confirming that a “technical snag” was detected and that the aircraft had been diverted to Mumbai in accordance with regulations. The airline arranged for an alternative aircraft, so passengers would be able to resume their journey to Goa without much further delay. The affected aircraft is now being examined and will return to service only after all maintenance and safety checks are completed.
IndiGo apologised for the inconvenience caused and stressed that safety remains their highest priority. There were no injuries reported among passengers or crew.
The quick and coordinated response by the cockpit crew and airport authorities averted any major incident, and normal airport operations remained unaffected throughout the event.