NEW DELHI: It was a fortunate escape for 141 people on board an Indigo flight preparing to depart from Kolkata to Agartala after lightning struck the plane on Friday morning.
Three ground staff suffered temporary hearing loss due to the impact, while all those on board were safe. The passengers were deboarded and sent by another plane four hours later.
The flight involved in the incident, 6E 6068, an A320 aircraft, has been grounded, and extensive inspections are underway.
According to a Kolkata airport source, "Flight 6E 6068, scheduled to depart for Agartala, was readying for pushback (the process before the flight begins taxiing for take-off) around 9.30 am today when a streak of lightning accompanying the heavy rains hit the aircraft."
"The sound accompanying it shocked three ground staff, and they suffered a temporary hearing loss. All 141 on board, including the crew, were safe," they added.
Those impacted were two loaders from IndiGo and an employee of the ground handling service, AISEL.
"The hearing of the impacted staff was automatically rectified within a short time. They were taken to hospital immediately, and extensive checks were carried out as a precautionary measure. They are all fine now."
The aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, was apprised about the incident. A DGCA official said that a detailed inspection of the grounded IndiGo aircraft was on presently.
The passengers have been accommodated in an alternative IndiGo aircraft, which departed to Agartala around 1.30 pm, said another source.
Heavy rains lashed Kolkata on Friday and are expected to continue till the end of this week, according to the Indian Meteorological Department.
