An IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Guwahati was reportedly forced to make an emergency landing in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka due to dense fog on Saturday. The diverted flight landed in Dhaka at 4 am after it was unable to land at the Guwahati airport due to low visibility.
Several passengers took to social media to share their frustration over the abrupt diversion. In a post on X, former Mumbai Youth Congress chief Suraj Singh Thakur, on his way to join Congress’s Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra in Imphal, said he was one of the passengers stuck on the diverted flight.
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.✈️
— Suraj Singh Thakur (@SurajThakurINC) January 13, 2024
“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,” he wrote, adding that all passengers onboard the flight had crossed the international border without their passports.
The passengers are still inside the plane, Mr Thakur said, adding that they have been inside the aircraft for nine hours. “I am stuck inside aircraft for 9 hours now. I left for Manipur (Imphal) for the Bharat jodo nyay yatra. Let’s see when I reach Guwahati and then will fly to Imphal,” he wrote.
Another flier, in a post on X, said the 178 passengers had been waiting for over four hours for another crew to fly back to their destination.
“IndiGo6E stuck inside aircraft with 178 passengers for 9 hours now, flying 6E 5319 from Mumbai to Guwahati. We made a landing in Dhaka around 4am because of lower visibility in the North East. We have been waiting for another crew for 4 hours now, can we please expedite?,” he wrote.
Hi, we truly regret the inconvenience caused to you. The flight was diverted due to bad weather which is beyond our control too. Our team is working to assist the passengers to the best of their capabilities. We sincerely look forward to your understanding. ~Ravi
— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) January 13, 2024
The airline responded to the post saying the flight was diverted due to bad weather but did not specify when the flight will leave the Bangladesh capital.
“Hi, we truly regret the inconvenience caused to you. The flight was diverted due to bad weather which is beyond our control too. Our team is working to assist the passengers to the best of their capabilities. We sincerely look forward to your understanding,” it wrote.