All the passengers onboard flight 6E-1406 are safe, the airline said. (Representational image)
An IndiGo aircraft flying from Sharjah to Hyderabad diverted to Pakistan today after the pilot reported a technical defect in the aircraft, the airline has said. The plane made a precautionary landing in Karachi and all the passengers are safe, it said.
The Indian low-cost carrier further added that an additional flight will be sent to Karachi to fly the passengers to Hyderabad.
"IndiGo flight 6E-1406, operating from Sharjah to Hyderabad was diverted to Karachi. The pilot observed a technical defect. Necessary procedures were followed and as a precaution the aircraft was diverted to Karachi. An additional flight is being sent to Karachi to fly the passengers to Hyderabad," the airline said in a release.
Sources in the government have told NDTV that the IndiGo Airbus made the precautionary landing after a system fault was detected in Engine 2, or the right engine of the aircraft.
The additional flight was sent from Ahmedabad, and it returned to Hyderabad during Sunday afternoon with all stranded passengers, sources said.
On July 14, an IndiGo aircraft flying from Delhi to Vadodara was diverted to Jaipur out of precaution after vibrations were observed in the engines of the aircraft.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is investigating both the incidents, news agency PTI reported officials noted.
This is the second Indian airline to make an unscheduled landing in Karachi in two weeks.
Earlier this month, a SpiceJet aircraft from Delhi to Dubai was diverted to the Pakistan city due to a malfunctioning fuel indicator light in the cockpit.
The 138 passengers later left for Dubai in a replacement flight that was sent from India. It took several hours before the Pakistan government allowed the passengers to board a replacement aircraft and fly out to Dubai.