Technical Snag Forces IndiGo Flight Back to Kochi

An IndiGo flight from Kochi to Abu Dhabi returned due to a technical snag after two hours in air. All 180 passengers were flown to their destination by another aircraft. IndiGo addressed the inconvenience by providing meals and refreshments while maintenance checks are conducted on the affected aircraft.

An IndiGo flight en route to Abu Dhabi was forced to return to Kochi early Saturday following a technical snag. The flight, 6E-1403, was airborne for over two hours before pilots decided to turn back for safety reasons, the airline reported.

The flight, which originally departed Kochi at 11.10 pm on Friday, returned safely to the city at 1.44 am. Onboard were more than 180 passengers and six crew members, all of whom were later accommodated on an alternate flight which departed at 3.30 am, operated by a new set of crew due to duty time regulations.

IndiGo confirmed that the affected aircraft, an A320 neo, is undergoing maintenance checks. The airline apologized for the inconvenience and provided passengers with meals and refreshments during the wait. Flight tracking website Flightradar24.com had documented the aircraft's mid-way return.

(With inputs from agencies.)