(Image source from: PTI)

On Friday, the aviation authority DGCA announced that the IndiGo flight crew en route from the national capital to Srinagar on Wednesday had requested access to Pakistan's airspace in order to sidestep turbulence, but this request was turned down. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation provided a comprehensive account of the event, confirming that no passengers on board were harmed, although the aircraft's nose radome did sustain some damage. The DGCA is currently investigating the turbulence incident. On that day, IndiGo's A321 neo aircraft, operating flight 6E 2142, experienced hail and severe turbulence near Pathankot. According to the crew's report, they sought clearance from Northern control (IAF) for a left deviation toward the international border due to unfavorable weather conditions; however, this was not granted.

Subsequently, the crew reached out to Lahore Air Traffic Control to request entry into their airspace to navigate around the weather, but this request was also denied, as stated by the DGCA. Following this, the crew briefly considered turning back, but once they approached a thunderstorm cloud, they opted to continue through the adverse weather. The crew aimed to maintain their heading to exit the turbulent conditions in the most direct manner towards Srinagar, as indicated in the statement. Additionally, on Thursday, PTI reported that the pilot's request to utilize Pakistani airspace to avoid turbulence had been declined by the Lahore air traffic controllers.