IndiGo flight with Assam CM on board diverted to Agartala due to bad weather in Guwahati

Agartala: A Guwahati-bound IndiGo flight with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on board was diverted to Tripura's Agartala airport due to inclement weather conditions in the neighbouring state, an official said on Monday. The flight diversion was carried out on Sunday evening as a precautionary measure, he said. The aircraft, later, flew to Guwahati after an improvement in the weather conditions in Guwahati, said KC Meena, the director of the Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport at Agartala. "The IndiGo flight from Mohanbari airport in Dibrugarh was unable to land in Guwahati due to heavy rainfall and thunderstorms, and was diverted to Agartala as a precautionary measure. Later, the aircraft departed for Guwahati," he said.

The Agartala airport director said the Chief Minister’s Office in Guwahati confirmed that Sarma was on the flight. "The diversion was due to weather conditions with no technical issues reported," Meena said. As the flight landed at the Agartala airport, Tripura Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury went there to meet Sarma. Later, in a Facebook post, Chowdhury wrote, “After getting information about the emergency landing of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma ji’s aircraft at the Agartala airport due to bad weather in Guwahati, I rushed to the airport and spent some time with dada (elder brother).” Meena said normal operations resumed after the weather conditions improved in Guwahati. "Altogether, five flights, after being diverted, had landed at the MBB airport on Sunday, and all of these had departed for their destinations," Meena said.

The India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Regional Centre in Guwahati had forecast heavy rainfall and thunderstorms between 2:30 pm and 8:30 pm on August 24, prompting airlines to issue advisories about potential disruptions. IndiGo had also alerted passengers about expected delays in flight operations in the Northeast due to persistent inclement weather conditions, another official said. A statement from the Chief Minister’s Office in Guwahati reiterated that the diversion was carried out in the interest of passengers' safety, and no untoward incident was reported during the brief stop in Agartala. The Northeast region continues to face uncertain weather conditions, with authorities advising passengers to monitor flight updates closely before travelling, the official added.