IndiGo Jorhat to Kolkata flight cancelled after plane's wheel stuck in grass

An IndiGo flight from Assam's Jorhat to Kolkata on Thursday was cancelled apparently after the aircraft skidded off the runway during take-off and a pair of its wheels got stuck in the muddy outfield. An official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) told PTI that the Indigo 6E757 flight operating on the Jorhat-Kolkata route was cancelled after being held up for several hours at Jorhat due to a "technical issue". The matter is not been listed by India's aviation authority DGCA yet. 

A local journalist uploaded a picture on Twitter showing an aircraft, which apparently skidded off the runway and one pair of wheels got stuck in the soft grassy outfield. Tagging IndiGo, the scribe said: "Guwahati Kolkata @indigo flight 6F 757 (6E757) slips from runway and stuck in muddy field in Jorhat airport in Assam. The flight was scheduled to depart at 2.20 pm but the flight delayed after the incident."

Replying to his post, IndiGo said: "Sir, we're concerned to hear this and raising this right away with the concerned team. Please share the PNR via DM for the same. We hope you're well and comfortably travelled to your destination."

The AAI official said there was some technical issue with the aircraft and the flight was cancelled at around 8:15 pm. "There were 98 passengers on board. All passengers deboarded and are safe," he added.

An IndiGo spokesperson said: "Yesterday IndiGo flight 6E-757 operating from Jorhat to Kolkata returned back to bay during departure. While taxiing out the pilot was advised that one of the main wheel had partially run over the grass adjacent to the taxiway."

"As a precaution, the pilot held the taxi procedure and asked for necessary inspection. The aircraft was taken back to the bay at Jorhat for inspections. During the initial inspection there were no abnormalities observed. As a matter of caution, the maintenance team initiated a thorough inspection. The flight was cancelled," they added.

Between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, there were 478 technical snag-related incidents reported in aircraft, raising questions about safety for passengers and fliers. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has conducted 177 surveillances, 497 spot checks, and 169 night surveillances on the engineering and maintenance facets of scheduled operators throughout the course of the previous year (July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022).