An IndiGo flight operating from Guwahati to Chennai with 168 passengers onboard made an emergency landing at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru on Thursday evening, following a distress signal issued by the pilot due to critically low fuel levels.
Flight 6E-6764, an Airbus A321, had departed from Guwahati at 4:40 PM and was scheduled to land in Chennai around 7:45 PM. However, shortly after the aircraft’s landing gear touched down in Chennai, the pilot executed a ‘go-around’ — a maneuver used when a landing is aborted at the last moment — and did not attempt a second landing.
According to aviation sources, the pilot later issued a ‘Mayday’ call — the most urgent distress signal in aviation — about 35 nautical miles from Bengaluru airport, citing insufficient fuel. Following the alert, Air Traffic Control (ATC) at KIA immediately mobilized emergency services, including fire and medical teams, in preparation for a possible emergency landing.
“The aircraft touched down safely at 8:20 PM. All passengers and crew members are safe,” an official at KIA confirmed. Some passengers onboard described the abrupt climb after the initial landing attempt as “terrifying,” with several visibly alarmed during the maneuver.
Both pilots operating the flight have reportedly been removed from duty pending an investigation, although IndiGo has yet to release an official statement on their status.
This incident comes just days after a tragic crash involving an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad, which resulted in the deaths of 241 people, leaving only one survivor. That aircraft had also issued a Mayday call shortly before the crash.
In a separate incident on Friday, another IndiGo flight — this one en route to Madurai — faced a technical issue mid-air and returned to Chennai as a precaution. The aircraft, carrying around 68 passengers, landed safely, and all passengers disembarked following standard safety protocols.
Aviation authorities are now reviewing the fuel management and diversion procedures followed by the crew in the Guwahati-Chennai flight, as part of standard post-incident protocols.