A Chennai-bound IndiGo flight from Guwahati was forced to divert and land at Bengaluru&rsquo;s Kempegowda International Airport on Thursday evening after the pilots issued a &lsquo;Mayday&rsquo; alert due to dangerously low fuel levels. The Airbus A321, operating as flight 6E-6764, was carrying 168 passengers.
The aircraft departed Guwahati at 4:40 pm and approached Chennai at approximately 7:45 pm. During its initial landing attempt, the plane reportedly performed a balked landing&mdash;a situation where the descent is aborted even after the wheels make contact with the runway. Instead of reattempting to land in Chennai, the pilot chose to divert the flight to Bengaluru.
According to a national daily, a Mayday distress signal was transmitted roughly 35 nautical miles from the Bengaluru airport. The pilot cited both low fuel and an &ldquo;unstabilised approach&rdquo; as reasons for the emergency declaration. One of the passengers later described the sudden climb after the aborted landing as &ldquo;scary,&rdquo; reflecting the tense moments on board.
Upon receiving the emergency call, Bengaluru&rsquo;s Air Traffic Control acted swiftly. Ground support teams were immediately mobilised, including fire and medical services. &ldquo;After getting the distress call, the ATC alerted the on-ground staff members who swung into action. Medical and fire services personnel were in place. The aircraft landed safely at 8:20 pm,&rdquo; the media outlet quoted airport sources as saying.
Both pilots involved in the emergency have been temporarily removed from flying duties, according to reports, while an internal investigation is underway. IndiGo has yet to provide an official comment regarding the crew or the incident.
The situation occurred less than a week after a fatal crash involving an Air India Dreamliner, which went down shortly after departure from Ahmedabad en route to London. That aircraft, a Boeing 787-8, had also issued a Mayday before crashing into residential structures on June 12, erupting in flames.
In a separate event the following day, another IndiGo flight en route to Madurai experienced an in-flight technical fault and requested to return to Chennai. The plane, which had around 68 passengers on board, landed without complications and all individuals were safely disembarked with full adherence to safety protocols, sources confirmed.
A Mayday signal, originating from the French phrase &ldquo;m&rsquo;aidez&rdquo; meaning &ldquo;help me,&rdquo; is a recognised international emergency declaration used in aviation and maritime sectors. It must be stated three times&mdash;&ldquo;Mayday, Mayday, Mayday&rdquo;&mdash;to signify immediate danger requiring urgent assistance. False usage of the term is a serious offence due to the substantial emergency response it initiates.
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Pilots declared a Mayday after low fuel forced an IndiGo flight to divert from Chennai to Bengaluru.

Guwahati-Chennai IndiGo Flight Makes Mayday Call

Pilots declared a Mayday after low fuel forced an IndiGo flight to divert from Chennai to Bengaluru.

June 21, 2025 | 18:40 IST