Exclusive: Indigo flight makes emergency landing in Kuala Lumpur over ‘smoke alarm’

New Delhi: A harrowing ordeal faced by more than 230 passengers on an Indigo flight from Singapore to Delhi has come to light, with a passenger alleging that the airline kept the incident hidden from the public and media. 

NewsDrum has verified the authenticity of the passenger’s account who was onboard 6E 1014 on Friday.

According to the passenger, “I have this horribly terrifying and scary story to tell. I was returning from Australia and boarded an Indigo flight from Singapore to Delhi on 27th June evening.” 

The passenger stated that the flight took off as scheduled, but “approximately 45 minutes later, we were told that an emergency landing [was] to be done. Apparently there was a smoke, fire alarm, and the pilot diverted the flight to Kuala Lumpur.”

The passenger further said, “We were also warned of a crash landing on sea and [told to] prepare for it.” 

The passenger described how the plane landed on an emergency strip at Kuala Lumpur airport. 

“We were surrounded by fire tenders and evacuated in quick time to the Survival Persons Centre. Our luggage was brought out, and later we were transferred to an outlandish hotel in Kuala Lumpur,” the passenger said.

The passenger added, “A relief plane arrived last evening and brought us back to Delhi last night. It was an ordeal and a harrowing experience. Indigo choked the information from reaching the media. There were 230 passengers on the flight.”

In response to a query from NewsDrum, sources said the aircraft was in the air when the pilot detected a smoke alarm from the cargo hold.

According to a source, there was no threat to safety as the suspected smoke was not in the passenger area but in the cargo hold.

The source said that as the aircraft was over the sea, the pilot had to inform passengers about the possibility of landing at sea, as per standard operating procedure. An emergency call was made, and an emergency landing was carried out at Kuala Lumpur airport.

The source stated that passengers were disembarked and the luggage was checked, but no fire was found in the cargo hold by ground staff. 

"This was most likely a spurious alarm that was triggered. Indigo also said the pilot acted in the interest of safety and that all actions taken were as per protocol. An alternate aircraft was arranged for the passengers to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Delhi, and refreshments were provided," the source added.

The source further said the original aircraft, in which the alarm was triggered, has been brought to Delhi and is being checked to determine the cause.

While sources maintain that all safety procedures and protocols were strictly followed and that passenger safety was never at risk, the lack of communication to the public and media in the immediate aftermath has raised concerns.