Varanasi-bound IndiGo flight diverted to Sambhajinagar after elderly woman dies onboard

An IndiGo flight bound for Varanasi made an emergency landing at the airport in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after an 89-year-old woman died onboard, officials said on Monday.

The Mumbai-Varanasi flight made the unscheduled landing at the Chikalthana Airport at around 10 pm on Sunday, an official said.

Sushila Devi, a native of Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh, boarded the flight from Mumbai and started feeling unwell mid-air. The flight landed at the airport, around 350km from Mumbai, and a medical team examined the woman, but she had already died, he said.

"IndiGo flight 6E-5028, operating from Mumbai to Varanasi, was diverted to Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) on April 6 due to a medical emergency onboard. Despite prompt medical attention, the passenger's condition did not improve and she was declared deceased onboard," the private airline said in a statement.

The airline said it "followed" all standard safety operating procedures to ensure the well-being of passengers and crew on board.

IndiGo was in close contact with the family members of the deceased, offering its "support and assistance" as needed, said the statement.

The MIDC CIDCO police station did the necessary formalities, and the flight proceeded for its onward journey to Varanasi, the airport official said.

According to the airline, the woman's body was sent to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhjinagar.