IndiGo flight 6E 6961, an Airbus A320 operating from Kolkata to Srinagar, declared an emergency on the evening of 22 October after crew detected a possible fuel leak. The aircraft diverted to Varanasi’s Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport and landed without incident. All 166 passengers and crew were deplaned safely, NDTV reported. IndiGo grounded the jet for engineering checks and deployed a standby aircraft to complete the journey.
Although no injuries occurred, the episode adds to a series of technical snags faced by Indian carriers amid record utilisation rates. Corporate HR teams routing employees to Jammu & Kashmir—already a sensitive security zone—had to manage unscheduled overnight stays and security-cleared hotel transfers.
The DGCA will examine maintenance logs and fuel-system records; findings could influence upcoming extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOPS) permissions sought by IndiGo for its new A321XLR fleet. Safety analysts note that rapid diversion to an airport with limited extended-hours engineering support illustrates the need for tier-2 city readiness as India’s domestic aviation footprint expands.
For travellers, the incident reiterates the importance of comprehensive travel insurance covering missed connections, especially when onward legs involve international flights from Delhi or Mumbai.
Although no injuries occurred, the episode adds to a series of technical snags faced by Indian carriers amid record utilisation rates. Corporate HR teams routing employees to Jammu & Kashmir—already a sensitive security zone—had to manage unscheduled overnight stays and security-cleared hotel transfers.
The DGCA will examine maintenance logs and fuel-system records; findings could influence upcoming extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOPS) permissions sought by IndiGo for its new A321XLR fleet. Safety analysts note that rapid diversion to an airport with limited extended-hours engineering support illustrates the need for tier-2 city readiness as India’s domestic aviation footprint expands.
For travellers, the incident reiterates the importance of comprehensive travel insurance covering missed connections, especially when onward legs involve international flights from Delhi or Mumbai.
