Dibrugarh: An IndiGo flight carrying 144 passengers was diverted to Imphal on Sunday after a severe dust storm rendered visibility at Dibrugarh Airport dangerously low, forcing the crew to make a swift decision to reroute the aircraft to the nearest viable alternative.Flight 6E-6457, operating on the Ahmedabad to Dibrugarh route via Guwahati, departed from Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati at 10.20 am and was scheduled to touch down at Dibrugarh airport at 11.15 am. However, as the aircraft approached its destination, a heavy dust storm had significantly reduced visibility over the airport, bringing conditions well below the minimum safety thresholds required for landing.With the situation on the ground leaving no room for risk, the crew took the decision to divert the aircraft to Bir Tikendrajit International Airport in Imphal, Manipur, which was identified as the nearest airport where safe landing conditions prevailed.Dibrugarh airport director Bangajit Saha confirmed the sequence of events, explaining that the crew had acted in accordance with established aviation safety protocols.“The safety of our passengers and the integrity of aircraft operations are our topmost priorities. Visibility levels at Dibrugarh airport were below the minimum safe requirements at the time. With poor visibility persisting, the crew decided to divert to Imphal airport as the nearest viable alternative,” he said.The diversion, while inconvenient for passengers, ensured the safety of all 144 people on board. The aircraft remained at Imphal while conditions at Dibrugarh were closely monitored by airport authorities. As the dust storm gradually subsided and visibility improved to acceptable levels, clearance was given for the flight to return.Eventually, the flight made its way back to Dibrugarh and landed safely at 1.20 pm, approximately two hours behind its original schedule.
