'Pakistan would've allowed them into its airspace if...': Gaurav Taneja aka Flying Beast on IndiGo Delhi-Srinagar flight incident

YouTuber and entrepreneur Gaurav Taneja, aka Flying Beast, said that Pakistan would have allowed the Srinagar-bound IndiGo aircraft into its airspace regardless of wars or conflicts had the pilots done this one thing. He said that the pilots called out the lesser emergency signal PAN PAN instead of saying MAYDAY. 

Taneja said in his video: "From the information we have till now, the pilots didn’t declare an emergency; had they done so, Pakistan would’ve had to allow them into their airspace. Nobody has declared an emergency due to weather. The airspace around Pathankot is controlled by the Air Force; it’s called Northern Control." 

He added that the pilots told the Northern Control that the flight would be impacted due to weather. Taneja explained that the pilots were told to contact officials in Delhi, who would then contact Lahore. 

He then explained why Pakistan denied permission to allow the IndiGo plane into its airspace. "The aircraft must’ve gotten in touch with Lahore in a couple of minutes, Lahore must’ve gone up the chain to ask for permission to allow the aircraft into Pakistani airspace. The permission was denied."

The pilot-turned-YouTuber underlined that due to this back-and-forth, the pilot lost around 10-15 minutes. Towards the end of his video, he said that the aircraft was at the threshold of bad weather, so there was no turning back. 

A flight from Delhi to Srinagar, numbered 6E2142, recently made an emergency landing at Srinagar International Airport following a severe hailstorm. The pilot successfully landed the aircraft at 6:30 pm, ensuring the safety of all 227 passengers and crew members on board. The aircraft was subsequently declared 'Aircraft on Ground' for urgent repairs.

According to the airline, the flight encountered a sudden hailstorm, leading to significant turbulence. "All customers were attended to upon landing and no injuries were reported. The aircraft is currently undergoing necessary inspection and maintenance in Srinagar and will resume operations once all clearances have been secured," the airline stated.

The incident also underscored ongoing challenges in navigating restricted airspaces due to India-Pakistan tensions. Pakistan denied the pilot's request to use its airspace to avoid the turbulence, consistent with its policy following recent hostilities. The hailstorm also caused a significant weather shift in Delhi-NCR, disrupting operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport.