This is the terrifying moment a plane was thrown around in the air amid strong winds as it aborted its landing at an airport in India .
Unsettling footage showed the Airbus A320neo touching down at Chennai International Airport during a cyclone on a wet and cloudy morning last week.
The IndiGo Airlines flight was seen swerving before making contact with the ground, and picked up suddenly at an angle before turning around for a second attempt.
Shortly after the filmed incident on Saturday, the airport was closed due to high crosswinds and heavy rain caused by Cyclone Fengal.
The airport was reopened on Sunday morning although cancellations and delays were reported, stranding thousands of passengers.
The plane tried to land on the runway in Chennai but was thrown off course by the wind
The plane jolted as the pilot made the decision to have another go at the landing
Video showed the IndiGo Airlines flight coming in to land in stormy weather on Saturday, touching down on the waterlogged runway at an angle.
The quick-thinking pilot decided to try again and abruptly took off for a go-around.
The Airbus landed on the second attempt, but the airport was closed until 4am the next day, due to the harsh weather conditions.
Flight 6E-683 was travelling from Mumbai in India to Chennai.
The airport was reopened on Sunday morning although cancellations and delays were reported, stranding thousands of passengers.
The airport authorities issued an operational suspension notice to advise passengers to check the status of their flights.
Official sources said as many as 10,000 people could have been affected by the cancellations.
In the afternoon, Indigo Airlines cancelled all their flights to and from Chennai.
They informed affected passengers to apply for a refund.
IndiGo Airlines said in a statement: ‘Due to adverse weather conditions, including rain and strong, gusty winds, the cockpit crew of flight 6E683, operating between Mumbai and Chennai, executed a go-around on 30 November in accordance with established safety protocols.
‘This is a standard and safe manoeuvre, and our pilots are extensively trained to handle such situations with the utmost professionalism.
The plane had tried to land during a cyclone on Saturday but was forced to reconsider
The pilot made a snap judgment call and diverted, going around to reapproach
‘A go-around is performed when a safe landing cannot be achieved, as was the case with this flight.
‘We would like to reaffirm our commitment to the safety of our passengers, aircraft, and crew members.’
The Airports Authority of India said: ‘The crosswinds prevailed from 300m to 1km from the ground, and airlines raised concerns about operating flights at such high crosswinds.
‘The wind speed was recorded at 35 knots.
‘Since wind speeds beyond 25 knots are risky for flights to operate, the operations were suspended.’
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
