An IndiGo flight from Delhi to Srinagar, which had more than 220 passengers aboard, including a few TMC MPs, encountered a hailstorm on Wednesday.
The pilot immediately declared an emergency at Srinagar air traffic control as the weather conditions worsened. Luckily, the aircraft landed safely and has since been put on ground by the authorities.
Videos posted on social media showed instances of severe turbulence, with passengers praying and looking visibly upset while the plane violently shook.
A few travelers said that the nose of the plane was broken, though there has been no official word on this assertion.
An Airport Authority of India spokesperson confirmed, "IndiGo flight 6E2142 from Delhi to Srinagar encountered inclement weather (hail storm), emergency reported by Pilot to ATC SXR (Srinagar)."
The official further stated that the plane landed safely in Srinagar at 6:30 pm.
"All air crew and 227 passengers are safe, and the flight has been declared AOG by the airline," the spokesperson said.
(AOG, or 'Aircraft on Ground,' is a plane grounded and not able to fly because of technical reasons.)
Among them was a Trinamool Congress delegation, comprising Derek O'Brien, Sagarika Ghose, Nadimul Haque, Mamata Thakur, and Manas Bhuyan, Ghose reported.
Recalling the experience, Ghose described it thus, "It was a near-death experience. I felt that my life was over. People were screaming, praying and panicking. Hats off to the pilot who brought us through that. When we landed we saw the nose of the plane had blown up."
Owais Maqbool Hakeem (@owaismaqbool) also tweeted on X: "I was on the plane and coming back to Srinagar home.It was almost death experience. the nose of the plane is hit."
He added, "The Nose and Right side of plane was hit. And we were not permitted to see much as air force police was present."
One other passenger remembered that approximately 20-30 minutes before the plane landed, an announcement was made to buckle up because of turbulence.
"Inside two to three minutes of the announcement, the turbulence became so severe that everyone believed this was our final flight. I am an experienced flier but have never encountered such turbulence. I am extremely grateful to the pilot for getting us down safely," said the passenger.
IndiGo subsequently issued a statement stating that its Delhi-Srinagar flight faced an unexpected hailstorm but landed securely at Srinagar airport.
"IndiGo flight 6E 2142 flying from Delhi to Srinagar faced sudden hailstorm during the flight. Flight and cabin crew were in line with established protocol and the plane landed safely at Srinagar," the airline stated.
The statement further added that the airport team received the passengers upon arrival, providing them with care and comfort.
"The plane will be released upon required inspection and upkeep," the airline further stated.
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