Indigo pilot aborts landing in Vizag, returns flight to Vijayawada

Averting a major mishap, the pilot of a Vijayawada to Vizag Indigo flight aborted the landing and returned the flight, back to Vijayawada, on Friday evening. At the last minute, he took the plane back up from a few feet above the runway.  

Reportedly, the Vizag bound Indigo flight was to land at 4:30 pm. Recognising that the ATR aircraft was vibrating due to high-wind speeds, caused by the effects of Cyclone Jawad, the pilot took the decision of not landing at Visakhapatnam International Airport.

On this incident, Visakhapatnam International Airport Director, K Srinivasa Rao, told the media that it was a wise decision, on the part of the pilot, to not land the flight during bad weather conditions. “The Vijayawada – Vizag Indigo pilot reported unstable weather conditions and decided to take the flight back. Had he landed, there could have been a major disaster.” 

Incidentally, Mr Rao was previously the Director of Calicut Airport and recollects a similar incident. On 7 August, 2020, an Air India Express faced a similar situation. The pilots after going back twice, took the decision and risked landing the flight at the Calicut Airport leading to a massive disaster. The flight skidded off the runway and plunged into a gorge in Calicut Airport. This incident led to the death of 21 passengers including two pilots. 

It could be noted that recently, following the impact of Cyclone Gulab, a continuous downpour left major parts of the Visakhapatnam International Airport submerged underwater. Water was all over the parking area and the road between the National Highway and the airport