A Dubai-Mumbai IndiGo flight made an emergency landing in Gujarat after smoke was detected in the cargo

An IndiGo operating from Dubai to Mumbai was diverted to Gujarat’s Rajkot on Monday after the crew reported smoke in the plane’s cargo hold. Flight 6E 1452 with 194 passengers landed safely and all on board disembarked without incident, news agency PTI reported.

In a statement, airport officials said, “Flight IGO 1452 from Dubai to Mumbai with 194 people on board was diverted to Rajkot after smoke was detected in the cargo hold” of the plane.

An emergency was declared at Rajkot airport at 2:45 pm after authorities received an alert from the aircraft. The flight landed safely at 3:27 p.m., officials said.

All 194 passengers were evacuated without injury while technical teams began an inspection of the aircraft to determine what triggered the smoke alarm.

The pilot suspected smoke

Airport Police Inspector KP Taretiya told PTI that the pilot informed the Air Traffic Control (ATC) about suspected smoke in the cargo hold and sought permission to make an emergency landing at Rajkot.

“The pilot suspected smoke inside the aircraft and made an emergency landing at Rajkot airport as a precautionary measure. The aircraft landed safely,” Taretiya said.

He added that all passengers disembarked safely and were taken to a designated area within the airport terminal.

“The airline’s technical team has arrived at the airport and is inspecting the aircraft. There was no fire in the aircraft,” the officer said.

The incident follows another onboard emergency involving an IndiGo flight earlier this year. In May, passengers on a Hyderabad-Chandigarh flight had to be evacuated after a passenger’s power bank caught fire and smoke spread through the cabin.

The plane, carrying 198 passengers and six crew members, had already landed at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport and was taxiing towards the parking area when the crew noticed the fire. Flight attendants quickly extinguished the flames, but the smoke led to an emergency evacuation using inflatable slides. One passenger suffered minor injuries during the evacuation, while everyone else exited the plane safely.

IndiGo temporarily suspends operations to 6 international destinations

Meanwhile, IndiGo has temporarily suspended flights to six international destinations, including Hong Kong and Krabi, as part of a wider network optimization strategy.

The budget carrier said it had suspended flights to Langkawi, Krabi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong and Shanghai from July 1, while flights to Siem Reap were suspended from July 3 to September 30, the airline said in a statement.

The airline said the decision was taken due to traditionally weaker demand in the coming quarter and an extremely challenging cost environment.

IndiGo also said it will resume bookings on all affected routes from October 1 subject to improvement in operational conditions. It added that it remains prepared to resume these services earlier than planned if the situation improves.