Lucknow: An IndiGo Airbus A321neo aircraft remained grounded at Gorakhpur airport on Monday, five days after suffering a tail impact during landing. The aircraft, operating flight 6E 2381 from Delhi to Gorakhpur, had made two go-arounds before landing safely on its third attempt around 3.43pm on Aug 19.The aircraft, an Airbus A321-252NX bearing registration VT-ILR, was delivered to IndiGo in Aug 2021. All passengers and crew members disembarked safely after landing.The aircraft remaining parked at the airport bay is causing operational losses to IndiGo, as the airline is unable to deploy it on scheduled flights. Besides losing revenue from the aircraft’s grounded operations, the airline may also have to bear maintenance, parking and crew-related costs until it receives regulatory clearance. The exact financial impact was not immediately available.According to an official source, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is yet to provide clearance for the aircraft to become airborne. IndiGo had sent pilots from Delhi on Monday to fly the aircraft back, but they returned after the required clearance was not granted.“If IndiGo grounds its A321neo plane for five days, it loses a lot of money mainly from cancelled flight and tickets. Costs like plane leases still continue, and the airline faces schedule problems and unhappy passengers,” said another source.
