An IndiGo plane coming from Ahmedabad with 144 passengers on board was diverted to Imphal on Sunday after a severe dust storm made visibility at Dibrugarh airport “dangerously low”, officials said.
The sudden turn in weather forced the cabin crew to take a quick decision to reroute the plane from Dibrugarh to the nearest viable alternative in Manipur, they added.
Flight 6E-6457, operating from Ahmedabad to Dibrugarh via Guwahati, departed from Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBIA) in Guwahati at 10.20 am, an airport official told PTI.
“While the aircraft was scheduled to land at Dibrugarh airport at 11.15 am, the arrival coincided with a severe dust storm that significantly hampered operations. Conditions on the ground were well below the minimum safety thresholds required for a safe landing, and visibility was dangerously low,” he added.
With the situation leaving no room for danger, the flight crew chose to divert the tanker to Bir Tikendrajit International Airport in Imphal, the official said.
Dibrugarh Airport Director Panjajit Saha said, “Visibility levels at Dibrugarh airport were below the minimum safe requirements at the time. With visibility continuing to be poor, the crew decided to divert to Imphal as the nearest viable alternative.”
He added that the diversion operation ensured the safety of all 144 people on board, while authorities are closely monitoring weather patterns in upper Assam.
“Once the dust storm subsided and visibility improved to acceptable levels, air traffic control provided the necessary clearance for the flight to return,” Saha said.
Flight 6E-6457 eventually left Imphal and landed safely at Dibrugarh airport at 120 noon, about two hours late than its original schedule, an official said.
