IndiGo Agartala-Delhi flight diverted to Lucknow after cargo smoke warning

An IndiGo flight travelling from Agartala to Delhi was diverted to Lucknow's Chowdhury Charan Singh Airport on Tuesday after a smoke warning was received in the aircraft's cargo area.

Flight 6E6504 landed safely at Lucknow Airport at 6:29 pm, carrying 103 passengers and six crew members, airport authorities said. No untoward incident was reported.

The diversion comes amid a string of similar precautionary landings at Lucknow in recent weeks. Earlier this month, an Air India Express flight from Varanasi to Delhi was diverted to the same airport after a smoke detection alarm went off in its cargo hold.

Flight IX 1253, carrying 155 passengers, had departed Varanasi at around 8 am on September 3. Soon after take-off, the cargo hold smoke alarm was activated, prompting the pilot to alert Lucknow Air Traffic Control and seek permission for an emergency landing.

The aircraft touched down safely at 8:52 am. Emergency response teams, including airport personnel, fire brigade officials and technical experts, reached the aircraft immediately, and all passengers and crew were deboarded by 9:02 am.

Initial inspections did not reveal any signs of smoke or fire. The aircraft was moved to a hangar for a detailed technical examination, and an investigation was launched to determine why the alarm was triggered.

An Air India Express spokesperson said the crew decided to divert the aircraft to Lucknow as a safety measure after a technical issue was detected. The airline said passenger safety remained the priority, refreshments were provided to those on board, and arrangements were being made on priority to provide an alternate aircraft to take the passengers to Delhi.

In a separate incident on Sunday, an Air India flight from Bhopal to Delhi was diverted to Jaipur due to a technical issue. The airline said flight AI1886 was diverted as per laid-down procedures, landed safely at Jaipur and was undergoing checks in line with its safety standards. It regretted the inconvenience caused to passengers and said efforts were being made to fly them to their destination at the earliest.