Abu Dhabi-bound IndiGo flight suffers technical snag, returns to Kochi

An Abu Dhabi-bound IndiGo flight returned to Kochi early on Saturday due to a technical snag after being airborne for over two hours, the flight operator said.

The flight 6E-1403 (COK-AUH) departed from Kochi at 11.10 pm on Friday and returned to the city around 1.44 am on Saturday due to a technical snag, sources said.

The sources said there were more than 180 passengers and 6 crew members on board the aircraft.

They also said that the passengers were flown to Abu Dhabi in another aircraft, which took off at around 3.30 am, and a new set of crew operated the flight as the earlier crew had to be replaced due to flight duty time restrictions.

As per information available on flight tracking website Flightradar24.com, the flight 6E1403 which had returned mid-way, was operated with an A320 neo aircraft.

“A technical issue was detected on IndiGo flight 6E 1403 operating from Kochi to Abu Dhabi on 6 September 2025. As a precautionary step, the pilots decided to turn back and the aircraft landed safely at Cochin International Airport,” IndiGo said in a statement.

According to IndiGo, while the aircraft is undergoing necessary maintenance checks before resuming operations, an alternative aircraft was promptly arranged for customers to complete the journey.

The airline also expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to the customers and made all possible efforts to minimise it, including offering them meals and refreshments, an IndiGo spokesperson said.