Air India Express flight diverted to Jaipur midway, resumes journey after weather improves
New Delhi, April 29 (IANS) An Air India Express flight en route from Delhi to Bhubaneswar was briefly diverted to Jaipur on Wednesday due to adverse weather conditions, the airline said.
Flight IX-1057, which had departed from Delhi, made an unscheduled landing at Jaipur airport as a precautionary measure after encountering unfavourable weather along its route.
In an official statement, an Air India Express spokesperson said, “Due to adverse weather conditions enroute to Bhubaneswar, one of our flights from Delhi was diverted briefly to Jaipur. When the weather improved, the flight resumed its operations to Bhubaneswar. We regret the delay caused by circumstances beyond our control.”
The aircraft landed safely in Jaipur, and there were no reports of any injuries or damage. After a brief halt and improvement in weather conditions, the flight continued its journey to Bhubaneswar.
The development came amid weather-related disruptions in Jaipur. Earlier in the day, an Etihad Airways flight arriving from Abu Dhabi faced difficulties in landing due to a dust storm.
The aircraft, scheduled to arrive at 7:35 pm, was unable to land on its first attempt and remained in a holding pattern for nearly 45 minutes, circling the sky multiple times before finally receiving clearance to land after conditions improved.
Airport authorities said the delay was caused by poor visibility and strong winds due to the dust storm, which affected flight operations temporarily.
Meanwhile, last month, a Delhi-bound Air India Express flight made an emergency landing in Lucknow after a mid-air smoke alert, with the pilot issuing a PAN-PAN call to report the urgency.
An Air India Express flight carrying 148 passengers was diverted to Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport after smoke was detected during the journey.
The flight was en route from Bagdogra to Delhi when the incident occurred.
Instead of a ‘Mayday’ distress call, the pilot issued a ‘PAN-PAN’ call, which is used to signal an urgent situation that is serious but not immediately life-threatening.
–IANS
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