Kolkata: An IndiGo flight from Kolkata to Chennai carrying 224 passengers and crew was plunged into an emergency on Tuesday after its left engine became inoperative before landing, triggering a full-scale emergency response at Chennai airport.
IndiGo flight 6E-723, was nearing its destination when the cockpit crew detected the left-engine failure. The pilot immediately alerted air traffic control, following which Chennai airport authorities activated emergency arrangements at 11.29 pm, just a minute before the flight’s scheduled arrival time.
Sources said Air Traffic Control quickly cleared the runway and halted all other flight movements, granting the distressed plane absolute landing priority. Fire tenders, medical teams, and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel rushed to their designated standby positions to prepare for the arrival.
The aircraft, however, landed safely on the runway 25at 11.37 pm.All 224 passengers and crew members on board were safe. “The aircraft managed to execute a safe landing, after which emergency services immediately cordoned off the flight for any signs of fire, smoke, or fuel leakage,” said a senior airport official.
IndiGo described the incident as a technical snag and said the crew had followed established safety procedures. “IndiGo flight 6E 723, operating from Kolkata to Chennai on Aug 11, 2026, experienced a technical snag shortly before landing in Chennai. Following standard operating procedures, all relevant authorities were immediately informed and the pilots made a priority landing at the Chennai International Airport. All passengers and crew safely disembarked the aircraft,” the airline said in a statement.
The aircraft has been taken out of service and is undergoing detailed checks. It will resume operations only after the necessary clearances are completed, IndiGo said. The incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of airline safety following a series of aviation incidents in the recent months.
The precise cause of the left-engine failure was not disclosed. Further checks are expected to establish what led to the engine failure, an airport official added.