IndiGo flight returns to origin airport after circling in air for 40 minutes

Tirupati: An IndiGo flight bound for Hyderabad was forced to return to Tirupati after suffering a technical snag late last week, officials said on Monday.

The flight 6E 6591, which departed from Renigunta airport at 7.42 p.m. on Sunday, circled in the air for about 40 minutes before returning.

The pilot noticed the snag midair and kept the aircraft circling before taking a U-turn.

The flight landed back safely at 8:34 p.m. on Sunday.

The aircraft, an Airbus A321neo, was scheduled to arrive at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday. Its scheduled departure time from Tirupati was 7:20 p.m.

After the flight's return, the airline announced its cancellation, leaving the passengers without transit for the night.

The nature of the technical problem was not known.

A technical team was assessing the aircraft.

The passengers had an argument with the airline staff. They were informed that they will be accommodated in the flights on Monday morning or will be refunded.

Prasad, one of the passengers, said the flight was in the air for 30 to 45 minutes before returning to Tirupati.

He said they were told that the aircraft's air-conditioning system was not functioning.

The passengers complained that the cancellation caused them severe inconvenience.

Those who had checked out of hotels were the worst affected as they had to look for alternate accomodation.

Others also found difficulty in finding cabs to return home.

The airline said that a minor technical snag was detected on the flight flight 6E 6591 operating from Tirupati to Hyderabad on Sunday.

As a precautionary measure, the pilots decided to turn back and land safely in Tirupati. The aircraft will undergo necessary checks before resuming operations.

The airline said that all affected customers have been re-accommodated on the next available flights or given full refund against cancellation, as per their preference.