While attempting to take off from Jorhat, India, an Airbus A320 passenger aircraft operated by the Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo skidded off the runway.
On July 28, 2022, during a regularly scheduled domestic flight between Jorhat Airport (JHR) and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) in Kolkata, the incident happened as the jet, registered VT-IFQ, was taxiing for takeoff.
Flightradar24.com’s flight history indicates that the 98-passenger aircraft was due to take off at 14.20 (UTC), but the flight was postponed because the aircraft’s main wheels became partially run over the taxiway and stopped in a muddy outfield.
The flight crew brought the aircraft back to its parking spot for a thorough check in accordance with IndiGo procedure.
Guwahati Kolkata @indigo flight 6F 757 slips from runway and stucked in muddy field in Jorhat airport in Assam. The flight was scheduled to depart at 2.20 pm but flight delayed after the incident. pic.twitter.com/spDT1BRHNd
— Dibya Bordoloi (@dibyabordoloi80) July 28, 2022
Fortunately, there haven’t been any reported injuries or other incidents.
India Today later received confirmation from the low-cost carrier that “no irregularities were discovered” during the initial check.
The incident is the latest in a string of recent incidents involving planes from Indian airlines.
Jyotiraditya Scindia, India’s minister of civil aviation, stated at a conference on July 28, 2022, that 478 technical snag-related incidences on aircraft owned by Indian airlines had been reported between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022.
Scindia claims that the events were brought on by defective parts or equipment installed in the aircraft.
“These technical snags are reported by the flight crew on receiving an aural or visual warning in the cockpit or an indication of an inoperative/faulty system or while experiencing difficulty in operating the aircraft.”
A day later, on July 29, the minister said that safety onboard aircraft is “of paramount importance for civil aviation” and “there shall be and cannot any compromise on it”.
Photo cover via Twitter: @dibyabordoloi80