A Doha-bound Indigo flight had to make an emergency landing at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan on the morning of March 13. IndiGo pilot decided to divert the plane at Karachi airport after a person fell ill on a Doha flight. However, 60-year-old Abdullah, a Nigerian passenger, died before the plane could land in Karachi. Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority officials in Karachi said the passenger fell ill on board and the captain requested an emergency landing at Jinnah International Airport. ATC cleared the Indigo pilot and an ambulance was ready at the airport.
Officials said the aircraft, an A320-271N, was parked at the Karachi airport for about five hours, returning to Delhi after authorities in Karachi issued the death certificate of the passenger and completed all formalities. Indigo flight 6E 1736 took off from Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi at 22.05 hrs on March 12, 2023 and was scheduled to land at Doha’s Hamad International Airport at 11.43 hrs.
However, the flight had landed at Karachi International Airport at 00:08 am on March 13, 2023, when a passenger fell ill mid-air. India’s largest domestic airline IndiGo was operating Airbus A320 aircraft on the international route.
In a statement, Indigo said, “Indigo flight 6E-1736, which was operating from Delhi to Doha, was diverted to Karachi due to a medical emergency. Unfortunately, on arrival, the medical staff of the airport The passenger was declared brought dead. We are deeply saddened by the news and our prayers and best wishes are with his family and loved ones. We are currently making arrangements to transfer the other passengers of the flight in coordination with the relevant authorities ”
A Delhi Police official said the body of the passenger has been handed over to his family members. The total number of people on board was not immediately known.