IndiGo’s Delhi-Kolkata flight gets smoke warning, pilots call ‘Mayday’

The pilots of an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Kolkata requested a priority landing from Kolkata ATC after finding smoke in the cargo hold compartment. Kolkata Air Traffic Control (ATC) alerted the airport fire department to make sure IndiGo flight 6E-2513 landed safely.

According to aviation sources, smoke was detected in the cargo hold of the IndiGo flight bound for Kolkata, prompting the pilots to declare "Mayday" today. Mayday is a distress call that is used to alert people to a life-threatening situation, typically aboard a ship or on an aeroplane.

Before landing, the pilots allegedly followed all applicable Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

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"The pilots followed their SOPs and prioritised the landing at Kolkata. Post-arrival necessary inspections were carried out. The warning was confirmed as spurious. Necessary rectifications on the detection system are in progress," IndiGo said in a statement.

"The pilots of the plane declared 'May Day' after a smoke warning in the cargo hold area was later cancelled and landed safely at the airport and it was a fake warning," DGCA official told ANI.

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There have been no complaints of any passenger injuries, despite IndiGo's Airbus (VT-IJA) flying from Delhi to Kolkata receiving a fake cargo smoke warning prior to landing. All passengers are safe.

According to data issued by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on August 18, more than 97 lakh domestic passengers travelled in July, 7.6% less than the 1.05 crore passengers who flew in June. Between January and July of 2022, 6.69 crore people flew domestically. In India, the aviation industry typically experiences a slump during the rainy season.

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According to the report, IndiGo - the country's largest airline - carried 57.11 lakh passengers in July, or 58.8% of the domestic market. In July 2022, the DGCA reported that Vistara carried 10.13 lakh passengers compared to Air India's 8.14 lakh passengers.

According to the data, Go First, SpiceJet, AirAsia India, and Alliance Air transported 7.95 lakh, 7.76 lakh, 4.42 lakh, and 1.12 lakh passengers in July, respectively. In July, SpiceJet's load factor, also known as occupancy rate, was 84.7%.

(With agency inputs)