Indigo flight skids off runway in Jorhat, wheels get stuck in outfield

An IndiGo flight from Jorhat in Assam to Kolkata skidded off the runway during take-off and a pair of its wheels got stuck in the muddy outfield, the airline said on Friday.

The incident took place on Thursday when the aircraft was taxing out for take-off with 98 passengers on board and the flight was cancelled, it said.

"IndiGo flight 6E-757 operating from Jorhat to Kolkata returned back to bay during departure. While taxiing out the pilot was advised that one of the main wheels had partially run over the grass adjacent to the taxiway," the airline said in a statement.

The pilot held the taxi procedure as a precaution and asked for necessary inspection, it added.

"The aircraft was taken back to the bay at Jorhat for inspection. During the initial inspection, no abnormalities were observed. As a matter of caution, the maintenance team initiated a thorough inspection. The flight was cancelled," the IndiGo statement said.

An Airports Authority of India official told PTI that the Indigo flight to Kolkata was cancelled after being held up for several hours at Jorhat due to a "technical issue".

"There was some technical issue with the aircraft. There were 98 passengers on board. All passengers deboarded and are safe. They waited in the terminal building and the flight was cancelled at around 8:15 pm," he added.

Earlier, a local journalist uploaded a picture on Twitter showing an aircraft, which apparently skidded off the runway and one pair of wheels got stuck in the soft grassy outfield.

Tagging IndiGo, the scribe posted, "Guwahati Kolkata @indigo flight 6F 757 (6E757) slips from runway and stuck in muddy field in Jorhat airport in Assam. The flight was scheduled to depart at 2.20 pm but the flight delayed after the incident." Replying to his post, IndiGo said, "Sir, we're concerned to hear this and raising this right away with the concerned team. Please share the PNR via DM for the same. We hope you're well and comfortably travelled to your destination."

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