A five-member delegation of Trinamool Congress comprising Derek O'Brien, Nadimul Haque, Sagarika Ghose, Manas Bhunia, and Mamata Thakur, was on the Srinagar-bound flight that experienced turbulence due to inclement weather.
TMC leader Sagarika Ghose termed it a "near death experience."
The pilot reported an 'emergency' to the air traffic controller at Srinagar on Thursday evening following jolts in the airplane. Later the flight was safely landed in Srinagar with a broken nose.
What Did TMC Leaders Say?
TMC MP Sagarika Ghose speaking to PTI after landing in Srinagar said, "It was a near death experience. I thought my life was over. People were screaming, praying and panicking."
"Hats off to the pilot who brought us through that. When we landed we saw the nose of the plane had blown up," she said, adding, the delegation thanked the pilot after the landing.
The TMC delegation will be in Jammu and Kashmir till May 23 and visit Poonch and Rajouri, besides Srinagar.
The party has said the delegation is there to express solidarity with the people affected by cross-border attacks, and share the grief of the families who have lost their loved ones.
Turbulence-Hit Flight Bound To Srinagar
An official of the Airport Authority of India told PTI, "IndiGo flight 6E2142 enroute Delhi to Srinagar experienced bad weather (hail storm), emergency reported by Pilot to ATC SXR (Srinagar)."
He said the flight landed safely at Srinagar at 6.30 pm.
"All aircrew and 227 passengers are safe and the flight is declared AOG by the airline," he said.
'Aircraft on ground' (AOG) refers to a plane that is grounded and unable to fly due to technical issues.
Later, in a statement, IndiGo said its flight from the national capital to Srinagar encountered sudden hailstorm and the plane landed safely at the Srinagar airport.
"IndiGo flight 6E 2142 operating from Delhi to Srinagar encountered sudden hailstorm enroute. The flight and cabin crew followed established protocol and the aircraft landed safely in Srinagar," the airline said.
According to IndiGo, the airport team attended to the customers after arrival of the aircraft, prioritising their wellbeing and comfort.
"The aircraft will be released post necessary inspection and maintenance," it added.
