Trinamool Congress members on Thursday questioned in Parliament the delay in the landing of an IndiGo flight carrying West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the Kolkata airport on Wednesday, though it was allegedly low on fuel.
They said the Air Traffic Control did not allow the flight to land immediately, endangering the safety of Ms. Banerjee.
The government, which has ordered an inquiry, said the flight was delayed by just 13 minutes as two other flights were also low on fuel. However, denying that the aircraft was low on fuel, IndiGo said in a statement that the Kolkata Air Traffic Control had misinterpreted the pilot’s message.
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Trinamool charge
Trinamool Congress members raised the matter in both Houses, saying the marshalling of ambulances and the fire brigade proved that there was a risk involved.
Opposition members supported Trinamool leaders, arguing that the security of Opposition leaders and other passengers was a major concern. Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge said the flight carrying the VVIP should have been allowed to land first.
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Trinamool member Sudip Bandyopadhyay raised the matter in the Lok Sabha. “Today, it is one Opposition leader ... this Opposition leader is at the forefront ... [of the fight against the government],” Derek O’Brien said in the Rajya Sabha, suggesting that there was a perception that Opposition leaders were not safe.
Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation had ordered an inquiry. He said the flight hovered over the airport for just 13 minutes.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha told the Rajya Sabha that the ambulances and fire brigades were called as a measure of caution. He said the government was committed to the safety of all passengers. As per norms, every aircraft should carry enough fuel to allow 30-40 minutes of hovering and travelling to the nearest diversion airport, he said. These global standards were strictly followed and any violation would be punished, he said.
IndiGo statement
However, IndiGo clarified the aircraft was not low on fuel. “The flight was kept on hold for landing due to air traffic congestion at Kolkata. The pilot... advised the ATC that he had eight minutes of extra holding fuel over Kolkata before commencing diversion to the planned alternate,” it said in a statement.
“However, this information was misunderstood by the Air Traffic Controller who assumed that the aircraft had only eight minutes of total fuel left.”
Misinterpretation
“The misinterpretation of the information by the Air Traffic Controller led the ATC to ask for fire engines and ambulances to be stationed at the Kolkata airport. ...IndiGo Captain at no stage declared a fuel priority or an emergency,” the airline said in the statement.
The fuel on arrival was more than the minimum diversion fuel and there was no violation or breach of any regulatory norm, the airline said.