NEW DELHI: An IndiGo Airbus A320 (VT-IZE) operating from Pune to Guwahati on Sunday had to return to the origin after its landing gear did not retract after take off. The aircraft with about 200 people on board had taken off at 7.17 am and the pilots discovered they were unable to retract the gear which made it impossible to proceed on the journey. Deciding to return, they contacted Pune air traffic control. As per protocol, the Pune airport, which is an Indian Air Force base, made all emergency preparations for its landing which the aircraft safely did just after 9 am. Flight movement timings are as per Flightradar 24 data.Tanked up for the about three-hour flight, the pilots first flew the aircraft in a hold for about an hour near Pune to burn fuel and get within maximum landing weight. Once there, they then did a low pass over the Pune runway so that air traffic control could visually verify the position of the landing gear gear to confirm to the cockpit that the same is indeed out and that is okay to land. This is done as per protocol to rule out a false indication of landing gear position in the flight deck.
An IndiGo spokesperson said: “6E 623 of Nov 15 returned to origin and landed safely at the Pune International Airport after a technical snag was detected shortly after take-off. In line with standard operating procedures, all relevant authorities were immediately informed. The aircraft is undergoing maintenance checks and will resume operations after securing necessary clearances.”“An alternate aircraft has been arranged promptly to operate the flight. We regret the inconvenience caused to our customers and are taking all possible measures to minimise it, including offering them regular updates, meals and refreshments, alternate flight options and refunds, as applicable. We thank our customers for their patience and understanding. At IndiGo, the safety and comfort of our customers and crew remain our top priority,” the spokesperson added.A flight with landing gear out returns to the origin as continuing the journey will mean increased drag that leads to a much higher fuel burn of about 150%.