IndiGo flight 6E 2789 bound from Delhi to Chennai made an emergency landing on 10 June, 2023 owing to mid-air engine failure.
The flight with almost 230 souls on board took off from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) at 16:36 UTC and soon after take-off the engine number 1 threw up a warning.
Shortly afterwards, the engine was shut down in-flight; reacting to the issue at hand the PIC immediately informed the ATC at DEL and requested an emergency landing.
Shortly after take-off, the aircraft made a sharp turn to align itself on the approach for the runway. The aircraft landed safely with only one functional engine at 17:10 UTC, and no injuries were reported.
A321neo VT-ILN
The aircraft involved in the incident was an Airbus A321neo. registered as VT-ILN, which was delivered brand new to Indigo on February 2021.
The aircraft was 2.4 years old at the time of the incident and the engines in this aircraft were manufactured by CFM.
All the passengers on-board disembarked safely after the aircraft was parked at the bay, and the aircraft was then taken out of service for investigation and repairs.
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As per records, the aircraft then remained grounded until Sunday 12June when it operated its first flight after the incident, flying as 6E-2059 on the same sector DEL-MAA.
It should be noted that all the twin engine aircraft like the A321 are capable of landing and flying safely on one engine. All the affected passengers were sent to MAA the very same day by an alternate aircraft arranged by the airline.
IndiGo statement
IndiGo said in a statement regarding this incident that “Flight 6E 2789 from Delhi to Chennai returned to its origin due to a technical issue.”
“The aircraft landed safely and is undergoing necessary inspection. An alternate aircraft was provided for the passengers to be flown to Chennai. We regret the inconvenience caused to the passengers.”
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation India (DGCA) said it had been notified regarding the incident involving an A321 of IndiGo airline, and that it will be conducting its investigation before releasing a report as to why the engine No.1 failed soon after take-off.
IndiGo domestic and international expansion
IndiGo, which is aiming at rapid expansion in both the domestic as well as the international market, recently announced the launch of six new flights from Pune airport. Some are additional to current scheduling on existing routes whilst some are new routes.
IndiGo has increased its frequency on flight services from Pune to Delhi, Nagpur, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad whereas it has introduced on new route connecting Pune to Jodhpur.
The suspension of operations by its low-cost competitor Go First has helped IndiGo as well as other Indian airlines, as they have benefited from the sudden increase in spill over demand for flights. This and the increase in average airfares means that these airlines will report a good May/June on quoted earnings.
