Chaos erupted at Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh, on Tuesday. The gate of an IndiGo flight arriving from Delhi malfunctioned, locking shut due to a technical issue. The flight landed safely at Raipur at 2:25 PM, but passengers remained trapped inside for approximately 40 minutes because the gate wouldn’t open. The flight carried former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, MLA Chaturi Nand, and Raipur Mayor Meenal Choubey, among hundreds of other passengers.
Mayor Meenal Choubey stated that the flight had a safe landing in Raipur. However, the crew members didn’t receive permission from the pilot to open the gate. The technical fault prevented the signal to open the gate from appearing on the display. As a result, passengers were confined to the aircraft for 40 minutes. She mentioned that there was no shortage of cooling or water during this period, which minimized the inconvenience to the passengers. However, the recent Ahmedabad air crash triggered anxiety among some passengers.
Engineers managed to open the gate after roughly 40 minutes of troubleshooting, allowing all passengers to disembark safely. The incident caused a stir at Raipur Airport, especially with the presence of several prominent figures on the flight, making it a major concern.
According to information, the gate lock issue stemmed from a technical fault within the system. The signal required to open the gate wasn’t displaying on the pilot’s screen, preventing the crew members from opening it. Airport staff and engineers resolved the problem after substantial efforts. IndiGo has not yet issued an official statement regarding the incident.
The recent crash of an Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London, resulting in the deaths of hundreds, deeply affected people. Following this event, passengers have been apprehensive about any aircraft-related malfunctions. The incident at Raipur Airport also caused unease among the passengers, though the situation was brought under control in a timely manner.