In tragic news over the weekend, a passenger onboard an IndiGo flight from Chennai to Delhi died after facing medical issues during the flight. The flight diverted to Nagpur due to the emergency, but the passenger did not survive.

Diversion

According to reports in Hindustan Times, the incident occurred on Saturday during a flight from Chennai to Delhi. Onboard, a 65-year-old male passenger began complaining of medical issues to the crew, prompting an emergency diversion to the nearest airport. The pilots opted to land at Nagpur Airport to provide the passenger will immediate medical care.

While it's unclear what happened upon landing, we know that the passenger was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital in Nagpur. The police are now investigating the incident to better understand the cause of death and timeline.

IndiGo
Despite the emergency landing, the passenger did not survive. Photo: Getty Images

Medical diversions are not uncommon and usually occur when passengers are deemed at a very high risk of serious issues.

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Flight details

The incident occurred on IndiGo flight 6E 6235, departing Chennai at 08:15 AM local time and scheduled to arrive in Delhi at 11:10 AM. The flight departed on time and began its northward journey towards the capital on Saturday morning. Just over an hour into the flight, at approximately 09:27 AM local time, the flight diverted toward Nagpur Airport.

Map
The flight made a sharp turn to Nagpur in response to the medical emergency onboard. Data and Map: RadarBox.com

The plane landed safely in Nagpur at 09:48 AM and emergency services were on the ground to transport the passenger. Once the injured passenger was off the aircraft, the flight continued its journey to Delhi at 10:39 AM. The flight reached Delhi at 12:15 PM, just over an hour behind its scheduled arrival.

The aircraft on this route is one of IndiGo's A320neos, registered VT-ITS. The plane is five years old and was delivered to the airline in December 2015, according to Planespotters.net. The A320neo will soon become the backbone of the IndiGo fleet as the carrier plans to retire all of its aging A320ceos by 2022.

Tough year for IndiGo

While 2020 was undoubtedly the toughest year for India's biggest airline, 2021 has the potential to go either way. While the airline has been optimistic about international travel returning by 2022, a lot depends on cases and border controls. Not many countries have made plans to open their borders yets, but that could change soon.

On the domestic side, things look a lot brighter. While rising cases could push back IndiGo's goal of reaching 100% domestic capacity by the summer, it is only a matter of time. However, the government is yet to lift its 80% capacity, which only a few airlines favor. Once the government lifts fare caps, expect traffic to rise further.

IndiGo A320neo
IndiGo branded itself as a casual and youthful airline with its popular ad campaigns. Photo: Airbus

However, as with everything in this pandemic, the picture only becomes clear with time. If India can quickly vaccinate and lower cases, the aviation industry could be looking at a strong recovery, but it could well be looking at another washout.