IndiGo flight suffers major mid-air scare, second incident in four days; here's what happened

A domestic IndiGo flight reportedly suffered a mid-air windshield crack while flying from Tuticorin to Chennai in Tamil Nadu on Monday. The flight later made a safe landing, according to reports. The ATR flight 6E1607 was carrying 75 passengers when the pilots detected the crack and alerted ground staff, after which a local standby was declared at the Chennai airport. No emergency was announced as the situation was soon brought under control, NDTV reported citing airport officials.

Similar incident occurred days ago

A senior official at the Airports Authority of India (AAI) told NDTV: "There was no emergency declared and the flight made a smooth landing." He added that only an investigation could reveal the cause of the mid-flight incident. This marks the second such incident on an IndiGo aircraft in a matter of just four days. Earlier, a Madurai to Chennai flight of the same airline had suffered a mid-air windshield crack, following which it made a safe landing in Chennai. No injuries were reported in either of the incidents and all passengers deboarded safely.

How are authorities probing the incidents?

Reportedly, airport authorities are examining if high-altitude pressure differences or manufacturing defects are leading to repeated mid-flight windshield cracks. Meanwhile, India's aviation watchdog -- the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) -- has ordered an investigation into both the incidents. IndiGo, officially InterGlobe Aviation Limited, is an Indian airline headquartered in Gurugram near Delhi and is among the largest airlines in the world in terms of the number of passengers carried.