Kashmir, May 23, 2025- The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that on May 21, 2025, Pakistan’s Lahore Air Traffic Control (ATC) denied an emergency request from IndiGo flight 6E-2142, a Delhi-Srinagar Airbus A321neo with over 220 passengers, including Trinamool Congress MPs, to briefly enter Pakistani airspace to avoid a severe thunderstorm. The incident, labeled by some as “aviation terrorism,” heightened tensions following the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack, which led Pakistan and India to close their airspaces to each other’s carriers. The flight, cruising near Pathankot, Punjab, at 36,000 feet, encountered a hailstorm and extreme turbulence. The crew’s request to deviate toward the India-Pakistan border was denied by the Indian Air Force’s Northern Control. Lahore ATC also refused entry, forcing the pilots to navigate through the storm.
The aircraft experienced severe turbulence, with system warnings like maximum operating speed (VMO/MMO) alerts and stall warnings, and a descent rate reaching 8,500 feet per minute. The pilots disengaged the autopilot, manually flying through the storm, and declared a “PAN-PAN” emergency to Srinagar ATC, which provided radar vectors for a safe landing at Srinagar International Airport around 6:30 PM. No injuries were reported, but the aircraft’s nose cone (radome) was significantly damaged, grounding it for inspection. The DGCA is investigating the incident, focusing on Pakistan’s denial of airspace access and its implications for aviation safety.
