An Airbus A320 passenger aircraft operated by Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo skidded off the runway while attempting to take-off from Jorhat, in India.
The incident occurred when the jet, registered VT-IFQ, was taxiing for take-off during a regularly scheduled domestic flight between Jorhat Airport (JHR) and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) in Kolkata on July 28, 2022.
According to flight history found on Flightradar24.com, the plane, which had 98 passengers onboard, was scheduled to depart at 14.20 (UTC), but the flight was canceled when the jet’s main wheels had partially run over the taxiway and became stuck in a muddy outfield.
Following IndiGo procedures, the flight crew returned the aircraft to its parking area for detailed inspection.
Fortunately, no injuries or further incidents have been reported.
The low-cost carrier later confirmed to India Today that “no abnormalities were observed” during the initial inspection.
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
The event adds to an expanding list of incidents involving aircraft from Indian airlines during recent months.
Speaking at a conference on July 28, 2022, India’s Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia said that 478 technical snag-related occurrences had been reported on aircraft belonging to Indian airlines between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022.
According to Scindia, the incidents were caused by malfunctioning components or equipment fitted to 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”.