IndiGo Flights Pass Too Close For Comfort In Guwahati, Passengers Jarred

Guwahati: There was panic in mid-air on Tuesday as two Indigo flights passed too close to each other over Guwahati, leaving some passengers and crew members physically affected.

Denying that there was any "near miss" the airline said the planes passed each other as one was increasing altitude "to avoid turbulence due to monsoon activity".

The incident took place on Tuesday evening when an Indigo flight from Mumbai to Guwahati was about to land at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport and an Indigo flight bound for Chennai, took off.

The turbulence "which could not be detected by the weather radar, caused the Mumbai-Guwahati  aircraft to climb by about 250-300 feet, at the same instance the Guwahati-Chennai plane was crossing it.

Following an alert, the pilot of the Mumbai-Guwahati flight then made a steep descent, which caused the uneasiness among the passengers and crew, the airline said. A spokesman said the flight made a normal landing.

At least four passengers complained of giddiness, and two cabin crew who were "physically shaken" needed First Aid, the airline said.