Vistara flight at 6 minutes out before being without fuel

On 15 July, Vistara flight UK944 from Mumbai to Delhi operated by Airbus A320-251N VT-TNH was at 6 minutes from being out of fuel.

153 passengers were on board the Airbus A320neo, built in early 2018, which first took off from Mumbai.

The aircraft then arrived near to Delhi, where it had to hold first and to make circles, then trying to land at Delhi Indira Gandhi Airport, and making a go-around.

The aircraft diverted to Lucknow, 420 km away of Delhi.

The visibility suddenly dropped above Lucknow, and the pilots took the decision to divert to Prayahraj, 30 minutes of flight away, where they were holding 7 minutes near to the airport.

Then the pilots made a “Mayday” call due to fuel emergency.

The weather cleared just enough for the aircraft to land at Lucknow, with only 200 kg of fuel remaining, which is equal to 5 to 6 minutes of flight, a source told The Times of India.

Aviation regulator DGCA confirmed it has grounded the pilots involved. Vistara confirmed they have been “de-rostered” during the investigation.

A Vistara spokesperson told The Independent: “Flight UK944 operating Mumbai-Delhi on July 15, 2019, initiated a diversion to Lucknow due to bad weather over Delhi. However, over Lucknow, the visibility suddenly dropped and a safe landing was not possible. (…) The crew then considered alternative airfields, including Kanpur and Prayagraj, to land in comparatively better weather conditions. (…) The unexpected drop in visibility at the destination alternate was the main reason why the aircraft ended up in a low-fuel situation despite carrying excess fuel over and above the required Flight Plan Fuel as per regulations. (…) Safety of passengers and crew was kept at the highest priority throughout the flight.”