An Abu Dhabi-bound IndiGo flight (6E-1403), which departed from Kochi on Friday, was forced to return to its origin early Saturday after encountering a technical error mid-air. The plane was carrying over 180 passengers and six crew members, all of whom landed safely in Kochi.
The passengers were then shifted to a replacement aircraft that departed at approximately 3:30 am, piloted by a fresh crew, in accordance with flight duty regulations. The affected flight was operated by an A320neo, Flightradar24.
IndiGo flight makes unscheduled return
The IndiGo flight from Kochi to Abu Dhabi was forced to make an unscheduled return after facing a technical snag mid-flight. Flight 6E-1403 (COK-AUH) took off from Kochi at 11:10 pm on Friday, landed at the same airport at around 1:44 am on Saturday, after being airborne for more than two hours.
The Airline, in an official statement, stated, “A technical issue was found on IndiGo flight 6E 1403 operating from Kochi to Abu Dhabi on 6 September 2025. As a precautionary measure, the pilots decided to turn back, and the aircraft landed safely at Cochin International Airport. While the aircraft is undergoing necessary maintenance checks before resuming operations, an alternative aircraft was promptly arranged for customers to complete the journey.” As per an ANI report, the IndiGo Airline did not specify the details of the technical glitch.
Nagpur-Kolkata flight: Bird hit incident
In a separate incident recently, a Kolkata-bound IndiGo flight was forced to return to Nagpur after a suspected bird strike that took place shortly after take off. The aircraft was carrying between 160 and 165 passengers, and landed back safely at Nagpur airport as a precautionary measure. All the passengers were deboarded without incident, and a probe into the matter is underway. As per a senior airport official, the impact of the bird strike damaged the front portion, leading to the emergency return of the flight.