IndiGo plane misses taxiway at Delhi airport, blocks runway for over 15 minutes

An IndiGo aircraft from Amritsar missed the exit taxiway after landing at the Delhi airport on Sunday morning, following which one of the runways was blocked for little over 15 minutes, impacting flight operations, according to sources.

An airline spokesperson said the aircraft from Amritsar to Delhi missed the exit taxiway after landing at the Delhi airport due to low visibility.

After missing the designated taxiway, the A320 aircraft, operating flight 6E 2221, went to the dead end of the runway 28/10 at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), the sources in the know said.

The plane landed on runway 28/10 at around 8.30 am but could not exit to the designated taxiway. As a result, the runway was blocked for little over 15 minutes, the sources added.

They said that a towing tractor towed the aircraft to a parking bay, following which normal operations resumed on the runway.

One of the sources said that after the plane landed at the airport, an air traffic controller asked the pilot to vacate the runway to taxiway K6.

However, due to low visibility, the aircraft could not move to the taxiway, the source added.

In a statement, the IndiGo spokesperson said the aircraft missed the exit taxiway due to low visibility.

"The aircraft was stopped on the runway and was towed to the parking bay by a tug. IndiGo prioritises operational safety above all else and regrets any inconvenience caused to passengers," the spokesperson said in a statement.

IGIA is the country's largest airport and handles around 1,400 flights daily. It has four operational runways.