India’s busiest low-cost carrier, IndiGo, is once again under the regulator’s microscope after an Airbus A321-neo operating flight 6E 6542 from Guwahati to Bengaluru suffered a tail-strike during an aborted landing on Sunday, 27 September. According to initial reports, the aircraft made contact with the runway before the crew executed a go-around and landed safely on the second attempt. No injuries were reported, but the airline has grounded the jet pending inspection and repair. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) opened a fact-finding investigation on Monday, 28 September, to determine whether flight-crew actions, weather conditions or technical issues contributed to the abnormal runway contact. Investigators will analyse flight-data and cockpit-voice recorders and have ordered breath-analysis tests for the pilots, standard procedure after a serious incident. Tail-strikes are classified as serious incidents because structural damage can remain hidden and later compromise flight safety. DGCA officials told local media that the event could lead to enhanced training directives for commercial pilots on go-around decision-making at India’s congestion-prone hub airports. They also hinted at a possible safety audit of IndiGo’s rapidly-expanding A321-neo fleet, which now numbers more than 90 aircraft. For corporate mobility managers the episode is a timely reminder to build buffer time into itineraries involving tight connections at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport, which handles more than 80 international departures a day. Any regulatory action—such as mandatory checks or simulator training—could force IndiGo to trim schedules temporarily, particularly on high-density domestic trunk routes that feed international long-haul flights. Travellers should monitor flight status closely this week and consider interline options where mission-critical travel is involved.
Source: The Times of India
