Gujarat, India: An IndiGo flight operating from Dubai to Mumbai made a precautionary emergency landing at Rajkot International Airport in Gujarat on Monday, July 27, after the crew reportedly detected a smoke alert from the aircraft’s cargo hold area. All 194 people onboard, comprising 187 passengers and seven crew members, safely disembarked after the Airbus A321 landed at Rajkot.
The flight, IndiGo 6E 1452, was operating from Dubai International Airport to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai. The aircraft departed Dubai at around 11:30 a.m. IST before being diverted to Rajkot as a precaution following the reported smoke indication from the cargo hold.
An airport official said, “Flight IGO1452, aircraft type A321, operating from Dubai to Mumbai, was diverted to Rajkot due to smoke detected in the cargo hold area.”
Airport authorities were alerted to the situation at around 2:45 p.m., following which a full emergency was declared at Rajkot International Airport. Emergency response teams, including fire tenders, ambulances, rescue vehicles and medical personnel, were deployed as part of the airport’s emergency procedures. Local hospitals and police authorities were also alerted and kept on standby.
The flight crew initially detected smoke indicators in the cargo hold during the mid-air journey, prompting the diversion to Rajkot as a precaution. IndiGo, however, said in a statement: “IndiGo flight 6E 1452, operating from Dubai to Mumbai, was diverted to Rajkot International Airport today as a precautionary measure due to a technical issue. The aircraft landed safely at Rajkot, and all passengers have deboarded securely. An inspection of the aircraft is currently underway before it is cleared to resume operations,” the spokesperson said.
The Airbus A321 landed safely at Hirasar International Airport, also known as Rajkot International Airport, at approximately 3:27 p.m. Police, security personnel and firefighters were present at the airport as the aircraft arrived. No injuries were reported among the passengers or crew.
Sources at the airport said IndiGo was arranging another aircraft to carry the affected passengers onward to Mumbai. The exact cause was not immediately established, and reports did not confirm whether an actual fire occurred in the cargo compartment. Authorities were expected to examine the aircraft to determine the cause.
The incident triggered the airport’s full emergency response protocol, but the aircraft completed the landing without any reported damage or injuries.
