Diplomatic friction between India and Pakistan played out in the skies on Wednesday when Pakistan denied a request from an IndiGo pilot seeking temporary passage through its airspace to escape a dangerous hailstorm. The rejection came as an IndiGo flight carrying 227 passengers, including senior Indian politicians, was caught in extreme turbulence on its way to Srinagar from Delhi.
The aircraft, flight 6E 2142, experienced sudden and violent weather conditions while flying near Amritsar. The pilot, recognising the threat posed by the storm, contacted Lahore Air Traffic Control (ATC) to ask for a short deviation into Pakistani airspace to avoid the turbulent zone. Citing existing restrictions, Pakistani authorities declined the request, forcing the plane to continue on its original flight path through the storm.
As tensions between the two nations remain high following a terrorist attack in Pahalgam that left 26 civilians dead, both India and Pakistan have mutually closed their airspaces to each other’s airlines. These restrictions have now raised serious questions about cross-border humanitarian coordination in emergencies.
Aircraft Received Damage on its Nose
Upon landing safely at Srinagar Airport at around 6:30 p.m., the aircraft was found to have sustained damage to its nose, prompting IndiGo to declare it “Aircraft on Ground” (AOG) and begin emergency inspections. No injuries were reported among passengers or crew.
Adding to the gravity of the incident, five Members of Parliament from the Trinamool Congress Derek O’Brien, Nadimul Haque, Sagarika Ghose, Manas Bhunia, and Mamata Thakur were onboard. Passenger Sagarika Ghose described the experience as traumatic:
“It was a near-death experience. I thought my life was over. People were screaming, praying and panicking,” she said.
“Hats off to the pilot who brought us through that. When we landed, we saw the nose of the plane had blown up.”
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched a formal investigation into the incident to examine both the weather-related factors and operational decisions taken during the flight. The probe will also assess the aircraft’s structural integrity following the storm encounter.
Delhi-NCR Saw Unusual Change in Weather
Meanwhile, Delhi-NCR witnessed a rapid and dramatic change in weather on the same evening, with a hailstorm and heavy rainfall disrupting airport operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport. Numerous flights were delayed or diverted due to the sudden atmospheric disturbance.
Videos recorded by passengers and shared on social media showed scenes of chaos and fear inside the aircraft cabin, with passengers praying and bracing for impact as the plane was battered by the storm.
Despite the safe landing, the refusal to allow emergency access to foreign airspace has reignited debate around aviation cooperation during crises, especially under strained diplomatic circumstances.
