Dheli’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) witnessed an incident on Sunday morning when an IndiGo Airbus A320neo missed its designated exit taxiway upon landing due to low visibility. As a result, the aircraft blocked the airport’s main runway for approximately fifteen minutes, impacting flight operations at DEL.
The IndiGo Airbus A320-271neo, registered as VT-IZN, was operating flight 6E2221 from Amritsar’s Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport (ATQ) to Dheli’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL). Upon landing on runway 28/10 in Delhi at 08:35 (local time), the A320neo veered off course after failing to locate the designated taxiway to turn off the runway due to low visibility. It then subsequently stopped at the end of the runway.
Photo: ANAND G IYER | Shutterstock
No injuries were reported as a result of the incident. However, due to the aircraft obstructing the main runway, technical assistance was required to tow the plane to the designated gate area safely. Shortly after the incident, photographs appeared on social media, showing the Airbus A320neo blocking runway 28/10 at DEL airport. An airline spokesperson told Simple Flying,
“IndiGo flight 6E 2221, operating from Amritsar to Delhi, missed the exit taxiway after landing at Delhi airport due to low visibility. The aircraft stopped at the end of the runway and was towed to the parking bay by a tug. IndiGo prioritizes operational safety above all else and regrets any inconvenience caused to passengers.”
According to reports from The Economic Times, the IndiGo aircraft blocked the runway for fifteen minutes, halting all departures and arrivals until the plane was towed off. The aircraft that suffered the incident was a five-year-old Airbus A320-271neo. IndiGo configures the aircraft in an all-economy class cabin in a 3-3 configuration. Each of the 186 seats has 30 inches of pitch and 18 inches of width. The plane has a total capacity of 186 passengers in a single economy class cabin in a three-by-three configuration.
Photo: Wirestock Creators | Shutterstock
Two Pratt and Whitney PW1127G engines power the aircraft. The A320 VT-IZN operated its maiden flight on December 7, 2018, and was delivered to IndiGo Airlines on December 17, 2018. It has operated for the carrier since.
Dheli’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), India’s busiest airport, which handles almost 1,400 departures daily, has seen its fair share of incidents over the past few weeks. Two weeks ago, a man scaled the high perimeter wall that secures the busy airport at night in a significant security breach. The intruder was first spotted at 23:30 (local time) by pilots of an Air India flight that had just arrived when they saw him in front of the aircraft while taxiing.
Photo: Abdul Munaff | Shutterstock
Moreover, this morning’s incident is not isolated, as over the past few weeks, foggy conditions at DEL have led to significant flight disruptions. Since December, the airport has issued multiple advisories regarding fog-induced delays, as visibility plays a crucial role in aviation operations to ensure safety. Due to the fog-induced delays, several instances of passenger unrest have surfaced.
In mid-January, a man physically assaulted an IndiGo pilot after his flight from Delhi to Goa was delayed. In a separate incident, passengers refused to leave the tarmac and sat beside their IndiGo plane when their Goa-Delhi flight was diverted to Mumbai.
The incident took place on a Delhi-Goa flight.
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