IndiGo's Kochi–Abu Dhabi flight returns mid-air after technical snag

An Abu Dhabi-bound IndiGo flight returned to Kochi early on Saturday due to a technical snag after being airborne for over two hours

An IndiGo flight from Kochi to Abu Dhabi (6E-1403) was forced to return to Cochin International Airport early Saturday after a technical issue was detected mid-air, the airline said.

The Airbus A320neo aircraft, carrying over 180 passengers and six crew members, departed Kochi at 11:10 pm on Friday but turned back after being airborne for more than two hours. It landed safely at 1:44 am on Saturday. There were more than 180 passengers and six crew members onboard the aircraft.

IndiGo said the decision was taken as a precautionary measure, and the aircraft is now undergoing maintenance checks. A replacement aircraft with a new crew was arranged, and passengers departed for Abu Dhabi at around 3:30 am.

“All passengers and crew landed safely, and we regret the inconvenience caused. IndiGo remains committed to ensuring a safe and respectful travel experience,” the airline said in a statement.

The flight 6E-1403 (COK-AUH) departed from Kochi at 11.10 pm on Friday and returned to the city at around 1.44 am on Saturday due to a technical snag, the sources told PTI. They also said that the passengers were flown to Abu Dhabi in another aircraft which took off at around 3.30 am and a new set of crew operated the flight as the earlier crew had to be replaced due to flight duty time restrictions.

As per information available on flight tracking website Flightradar24.com, flight 6E1403 which had returned mid-way, was operated with an A320 neo aircraft.

*With Agency Inputs