Agartala-bound IndiGo flight struck by lightning at Kolkata airport

An IndiGo flight bound for Agartala was struck by lightning while parked at Kolkata airport during a thunderstorm. No passengers were injured. The airline deboarded passengers as a precaution and later operated the flight using a replacement aircraft

Kolkata: An IndiGo aircraft bound for Agartala was struck by lightning at Kolkata airport on Friday during a thunderstorm, an Airports Authority of India (AAI) official said.

The incident took place amid prevailing thunderstorm and rain conditions, for which the Airport Operations Control Centre (AOCC) had issued weather alerts.

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No passengers were injured in the incident, he added.

The aircraft, IndiGo flight 6E6068 (VT-IPW), was at aerobridge 56L when it was struck by lightning around 9.30 am.

The lightning affected the aircraft’s power system, causing a “sudden power off”, he said.

There were 141 passengers and six crew members on board the A320 aircraft when the lightning struck. As a precautionary measure, the airline deboarded the passengers, who later departed on an A321 aircraft (VT-ICD), the official said.

The flight, originally scheduled to leave at 9.20 am, departed with the passengers at 12.50 pm, he said.

According to IndiGo, two ground staff members were slightly “affected” and were taken to a hospital for treatment. They were discharged immediately after a medical check-up, the official said.

Kolkata and adjoining districts have been experiencing thunderstorms and rain since Friday morning, leading to waterlogging in several areas and traffic disruptions.