IndiGo flight from Raipur diverted to Bengaluru due to Diwali smoke
The aircraft carrying 78 passengers was diverted after firecracker smoke reduced visibility at Chennai airport below the required landing minimums.
An IndiGo flight travelling from Raipur to Chennai was diverted to Bengaluru on Sunday night because of poor visibility caused by firecracker smoke, according to The Times of India.
The flight, 6E2002, was expected to land at Chennai airport at 10.45pm. However, the pilot diverted the aircraft, which had 78 passengers on board, to Bengaluru at 11.15pm.
Chennai airport authorities stated that visibility was approximately 900 metres at the time. This was below the 950-metre runway visual range (RVR) needed to land on runway 07.
The pilot made the decision to divert as a precaution based on the visibility levels during the approach, airport authorities said.
The aircraft, registered as VT-ILJ, eventually flew to Chennai and arrived at 1.54am. Officials noted that other flights landed and took off around that time as visibility improved within minutes.