Pakistan denies airspace entry to hailstorm hit IndiGo flight

New Delhi, May 23: Violating humanitarian norms, Pakistan refused permission to the pilots of an IndiGo plane, damaged by bad weather on its way to Srinagar, to briefly enter its airspace to avoid a hailstorm, India’s aviation regulator DGCA said on Friday.

According to the DGCA, the plane was flying at about 36,000 feet near Pathankot in Punjab when it hit a thunderstorm and hailstorm. The plane faced strong turbulence, so the crew asked the Indian Air Force's Northern ATC for permission to move closer to the International Border. 

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But the request was denied, as there were concerns about possible danger from Pakistan due to recent tensions during Operation Sindoor.

The pilot then asked Lahore air traffic control (ATC) for permission to briefly enter Pakistani airspace to avoid the storm, but that was also denied.

With few choices left, the pilot first thought about going back to Delhi. But since the plane was too close to the thunderstorm, it wasn’t safe to turn around. So, the pilot chose to fly through the storm and head straight to Srinagar using the shortest route, the DGCA said.

While flying through the thunderstorm, the plane faced "extreme updrafts and downdrafts", which caused the autopilot to turn off and the speed to change suddenly.

"While in the thunderstorm cloud, warnings of an angle of attack fault, alternate saw protection lost, and unreliable airspeed indications were triggered," the statement further said.

The DGCA said that at one point, the plane was dropping very fast—about 8,500 feet per minute. During this dangerous time, the pilots took manual control of the plane until they got out of the hailstorm.

The pilot declared an emergency to the Srinagar air traffic control, which then guided the plane using radar. The flight landed safely in Srinagar, and no passengers or crew were injured.

The DGCA said the plane landed safely, with the pilots manually controlling the auto thrust system. 

Fortunately, no passengers were hurt. After the flight, a check showed damage to the nose of the plane. 

A full investigation into the incident has started.