In a sudden thunderstorm, an IndiGo aircraft traveling from Patna to Lucknow was struck by lightning at 17,000 feet, forcing the crew to declare an emergency and land in Lucknow eight minutes early.
The aircraft—a 321‑neo—carried 104 passengers and six crew. All evacuated safely; no injuries were reported. The incident adds to a string of weather‑related mishaps that have rattled the airline’s safety record over the past months.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation opened an investigation immediately, and the plane has been grounded until it receives clearance. The incident follows a recent tail‑strike at Kempegowda International Airport and a lightning strike on a parked aircraft at Kolkata, which both led to temporary groundings and passenger re‑routing.
Flight 6E 1234’s crew, according to airline spokesperson Arjun Mehta, “maintained calm under pressure and executed a textbook emergency landing.” Passengers were later transported to their destinations via a standby aircraft. The DGCA is expected to issue a clearance within the next 48 hours, after which the plane will be cleared for service.