A Guwahati-bound IndiGo flight, 6E 5319, originally from Mumbai, was diverted to Dhaka due to adverse weather conditions at Guwahati airport on January 13.
The pilot initially aimed for Kolkata but, faced with unfavourable weather, redirected the flight to Bhubaneswar, where the runway was closed. Finally, the captain decided on Dhaka as the nearest available airport.
IndiGo has officially confirmed the diversion of the Guwahati-bound flight and released a detailed statement addressing the circumstances. "IndiGo flight 6E 5319 from Mumbai to Guwahati was diverted to Dhaka, Bangladesh, due to bad weather in Guwahati," IndiGo said in a statement.
The airline company has organised a new crew to facilitate the return flight to the original destination for the stranded passengers. "Due to operational reasons, an alternate set of crew is being arranged to operate the flight from Dhaka to Guwahati. The passengers were kept informed of updates and were served refreshments on board. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused," IndiGo said in a statement.
The delay has also hit the Congress party, as some of its workers were reportedly on the flight to Guwahati to participate in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra that gets underway from Imphal on January 14.
Suraj Thakur a Congress worker and AICC delegate posted on X "I took @IndiGo6E flight 6E 5319 from Mumbai to Guwahati. But due to dense fog, the flight couldn't land in Guwahati. Instead, it landed in Dhaka. Now all the passengers are in Bangladesh without their passports, we are inside the plane."