IndiGo Lucknow-Bengaluru flight suffers cabin depressurisation, lands safely

IndiGo’s Lucknow-Bengaluru flight on Friday night landed safety at its destination after the aircraft suffered cabin depressurisation when it was about 240 km away from Bengaluru. The Airbus A320 (VT-ITM) has been grounded there for checks and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation is probing the snag.

According to sources, the crew of flight 6E-6654 declared Mayday following a cabin pressurisation failure at when it was at 11,000 feet. It immediately contacted Bengaluru air traffic control and requested clearance to descend to 10,000 feet which was immediately given. “The crew declared operations normal at about 130 km from touchdown and landed safely,” said sources.

An IndiGo spokesperson said an “A320 operating flight 6E-6654 from Lucknow to Bangalore did a priority landing at Bangalore. The pilot observed a caution message related to the air-conditioning system. The pilot followed his standard operating procedures. The aircraft is currently being inspected by the technical team at Bengaluru.”


There are no reports as yet of anyone on board getting injured.

When cabin depressurisation happens, the flight crew will immediately commence a descent to 10,000 feet or to the lowest safe altitude that terrain permits. “The aircraft’s supplemental oxygen supply is finite, so any delay in commencing the descent to a safe breathing altitude may increase the risk of injury to crew and passengers. A rapid descent also minimises the time passengers and crew are exposed to cold temperatures and minimises the risk of decompression sickness,” says a report of Australian Transport Safety Bureau on website Skybrary.

“The flight crew will also broadcast a ‘MAYDAY’ or ‘PAN PAN’ (the international call for urgent assistance) message to declare an emergency descent after their oxygen masks are secured. This will make air traffic control and other aircraft in the area aware of the situation, including the need for an emergency descent to a lower altitude,” it adds.