Image Source: Agencies

May 23, 2025: The flight from Delhi to Srinagar had to deal with extreme turbulence and hailstorms.
After an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Srinagar experienced severe turbulence and hailstorm conditions in midair, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced Friday that it has opened an investigation and verified that Pakistan had denied the aircraft permission to enter its airspace in order to avoid unfavorable weather.
Threatening weather patterns ahead prompted the crew of IndiGo flight 6E-2142, operated by an Airbus A321 Neo, to request a deviation when the aircraft was traveling at 36,000 feet close to Pathankot. The crew contacted Lahore ATC to request entrance into Pakistani airspace after Northern Control (IAF) refused to allow a leftward diversion. Additionally, this request was denied. The crew chose to continue through the rain since there was no practical way to avoid the storm and turning around would be dangerous given the close proximity to thunderclouds. There were several critical system warnings on board as a result of the subsequent hazardous meeting with a hailstorm and intense turbulence.
"The aircraft's autopilot disengaged during the incident, making speed data inaccurate. Dramatic changes in altitude occurred during the flight, with a maximum rate of descent of 8,500 feet per minute. Stall warnings, Angle of Attack fault, VMO/MMO exceedance alarms, and loss of Alternate Law protection were among the warnings, according to a DGCA official.
As the plane shook violently after becoming enmeshed in the storm, passengers and children could be heard screaming and sobbing in despair in a supposedly inside video that went popular on social media. Later, pictures of the plane's shattered nose went viral on social media, raising concerns about the passengers' safety. Nevertheless, the flight crew manually regained control, carried out all emergency checklist operations, and notified Srinagar ATC of a "PAN PAN" emergency in spite of the severe weather and technical issues. Radar vectors directed the plane to its location, where it made a safe landing. None of the crew or passengers were hurt.
The message on the radio phone When someone on a boat, ship, airplane, or other vehicle needs assistance and the situation is urgent, they utilize the PAN-PAN, an international standard urgency signal.
Damage to the aircraft's nose radome, most likely from a hail impact, was discovered during a post-landing inspection. IndiGo attested to the auto thrust systems' proper operation throughout the landing.
In order to evaluate procedural compliance and the aircraft's handling during the emergency, the DGCA is presently looking into the occurrence. IndiGo has committed to working with the regulatory agency in full.