An IndiGo flight travelling from Patna to Ahmedabad was struck by lightning at around 17,000 feet on Wednesday, prompting the pilots to make a precautionary landing at Lucknow airport. All 110 people aboard the aircraft, including 104 passengers and six crew members, were reported safe.
IndiGo flight 6E925 landed at Lucknow at 4.05pm, about eight minutes before its scheduled arrival time. The lightning strike damaged the front section of the aircraft, following which the plane was taken out of service for a detailed technical inspection.
Flight 6E925 was operating from Patna to Ahmedabad when the aircraft was hit by lightning during the journey. The pilots diverted the aircraft to Lucknow and landed safely as a precaution.
There were no reports of injuries among the passengers or crew.
After landing, the aircraft was held at Lucknow airport while engineers began examining the damage. IndiGo said the aircraft would return to service only after the necessary technical checks and regulatory clearance.
The has also been informed about the incident.
Passengers were subsequently moved to another aircraft arranged by IndiGo. The replacement flight departed for Ahmedabad at 6.22pm, allowing passengers to continue their journey.
The aircraft involved in the incident will remain grounded while engineers assess the damage caused by the lightning strike.
Aircraft are designed with systems intended to protect passengers and critical equipment during lightning strikes, but any suspected damage requires inspection before an aircraft can resume commercial operations.
In this case, IndiGo has held the aircraft at Lucknow for a technical examination. Its return to service will depend on the findings of the inspection and the required regulatory clearance.
The lightning incident occurred on the same day IndiGo’s higher fuel charges came into effect for new bookings.
The airline announced the revised charges after a steep rise in aviation turbine fuel, or ATF, prices. IndiGo said the latest month-on-month increase in fuel prices had exceeded 14%, pushing ATF costs to among their highest levels in the last decade.
“The continuous rise in the fuel prices, with the latest month-on-month increase exceeding 14%, has taken ATF costs to levels that are amongst the highest in the last decade,” IndiGo said in a statement.
The airline has linked the increase in fuel costs partly to recent geopolitical developments in West Asia.
For domestic IndiGo flights, the revised fuel charges vary according to the distance travelled.
IndiGo passengers flying up to 500 km will pay ₹375, while journeys between 501 km and 1,000 km will attract a ₹600 charge. The charge rises to ₹900 for flights between 1,001 km and 1,500 km.
For domestic journeys between 1,501 km and 2,000 km, passengers will pay ₹1,150. Flights covering more than 2,000 km will carry a fuel charge of ₹1,300.
International will also attract revised charges based on their destination and distance.
Flights within the SAARC region up to 500 km will carry a ₹1,000 fuel charge, while longer SAARC routes will attract ₹3,000.
Passengers flying to Southeast Asia, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Middle East, and North and East Asia will pay ₹5,500.
The charge rises to ₹6,000 for flights to Africa and ₹10,000 for flights to Europe.
IndiGo said the revised charges do not fully reflect the increase in its actual fuel costs. The airline described the adjustment as an attempt to limit the additional burden on passengers.
“While offsetting the increase in fuel costs would have required a significantly larger increase in the fuel charges, IndiGo has implemented a measured and relatively modest adjustment to minimise the impact on customers,” the airline said.
(With agency inputs)
