Several senior political leaders from Chhattisgarh, including Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao and former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, and others were stranded at Nagpur’s Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport on Thursday night after their Raipur-bound flight was diverted due to adverse weather conditions. According to airport sources, IndiGo flight 6E-5138, which departed from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport at 7:45 pm, was scheduled to land at Swami Vivekananda Airport, Raipur, around 9 pm. However, heavy rain, strong winds, and poor visibility in Raipur prevented the aircraft from making a safe landing. The flight reportedly circled over Raipur for some time while the crew assessed weather conditions.

 

As the situation did not improve, the pilot contacted Nagpur Air Traffic Control at approximately 9:18 pm and decided to divert the aircraft to Nagpur. The aircraft landed safely at Nagpur, at 9:55 pm. Among the passengers on board were Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao, former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Chhattisgarh Congress President Deepak Baij, former Union Minister of State Renuka Singh, and BJP spokesperson Gaurishankar Shrivas, along with several other prominent leaders. The aircraft remained parked at Nagpur Airport until weather conditions in Raipur improved and flight operations resumed. During this period, passengers, including the senior political leaders, had to wait for several hours. After weather conditions normalised and clearance was received from Raipur Airport authorities, the flight departed from Nagpur and continued its journey to Raipur later in the night.