An IndiGo flight carrying 104 passengers and six crew members landed safely in Lucknow in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday after severe weather damaged the aircraft’s nose section.
Flight 6E925 was flying from the eastern city of Patna when it was reportedly hit by bad weather at about 17,000ft, forcing it to be taken out of service after it landed.
The aircraft landed normally at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport at about 4pm, several minutes ahead of its scheduled arrival time.
No injuries were reported. Officials familiar with the preliminary investigations said a lightning strike was among the possible causes being examined, NDTV reported.
The damage was discovered after the aircraft landed and was inspected by airport staff.
The airplane was declared an “Aircraft on Ground” – meaning it cannot operate until the necessary checks and repairs are completed.
“The aircraft landed normally around 4 pm and there were no reports of any injuries. The damage was noticed by the airport team after landing, following which the IndiGo team was informed and the aircraft was declared Aircraft on Ground (AOG),” an official was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India, citing preliminary information.
“IndiGo flight 6E925 operating from Patna to Lucknow on 07 October 2026 encountered unfavourable weather, including a hailstorm while landing, resulting in damage to the radome. The aircraft landed safely, and all customers disembarked at their destination, i.e. Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow. The relevant authorities were immediately informed. The aircraft will undergo necessary maintenance and will resume operations after securing relevant clearances,” an IndiGo spokesperson said. Radome is the protective structure covering the aircraft’s weather radar at the front of the plane.
According to The New Indian Express, airport authorities said the pilots were unaware of the extent of the damage and had alerted Air Traffic Control (ATC) about the incident as a precaution.
The Independent has reached out to IndiGo for comment.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, India’s aviation regulator, has launched a probe into the incident.
The aircraft will not be permitted to return to service until it receives the required regulatory clearance.
The plane was due to operate another IndiGo service from Lucknow to Ahmedabad after completing the Patna-Lucknow journey. The airline instead arranged a replacement aircraft, with the 104 passengers departing for Ahmedabad at about 6.22pm.
The incident comes months after another IndiGo aircraft was struck by lightning while parked at Kolkata airport during a thunderstorm in June.
That aircraft was due to fly to Agartala when the lightning strike affected its power system. The airline de-boarded 141 passengers and six crew members and later flew them to Agartala on another aircraft.
The latest incident also follows a separate weather-related incident involving an IndiGo plane at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport last month.
“An IndiGo aircraft operating flight 6E 6542 from Guwahati to Bengaluru experienced an ‘Abnormal Runway Contact’ while landing during gusty weather at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru,” the airline said at the time.
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