Another IndiGo flight, 6E-6271, was diverted to Mumbai due to a mid-air engine failure. The flight, carrying 191 people, departed from Delhi on Wednesday and was diverted when it was approximately 100 nautical miles north of Bhubaneswar. The aircraft landed safely at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport at 9:53 PM. The pilot issued a PAN PAN PAN call to the Air Traffic Control room, not a Mayday call. Here, we highlight the distinctions between these two international distress signals.
What Is A PAN PAN PAN Call?
PAN is the short form of ‘possible assistance needed’ or ‘pay attention now’. It is an international aviation distress signal used by pilots to declare an urgent situation. The signal is used to communicate the emergency situation with the air traffic control. However this alert clearly indicates that the urgent situation that is not immediately life threatening but requires priority attention. The term “PAN” comes from the French word “panne,” meaning breakdown or failure.
May Day Call
May Day call is an another international aviation distress signal used by the pilots to declare an urgent situation which is grave and imminent danger. It is the highest level of distress call used in aviation and maritime communication to signal life-threatening emergency requiring immediate assistance.
When Do The Pilots Use May Day And PAN Alerts?
May Day is mostly used under the following circumstances
- Critical situations like complete engine failure, fire on board, or imminent crash
- Severe medical emergencies on board that can endanger lives
- Situation where the aircraft or vessel is at risk of destruction or loss
PAN PAN PAN Alert Is Used When
- A single engine failure in a multi-engine aircraft
- Serious Medical emergency on board (non-life threatening like severe allergic reaction)
- Navigational equipment failure
- Fuel shortage (non-critical)
- Crew Injury
Ahmedabad Air-India Plane Crash On June
On June 12, shortly after departing from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed, claiming 270 lives. The aircraft was carrying 242 people (230 passengers and 12 crew members), and the crash also killed 29 people on the ground. Miraculously, one passenger survived.
What Happened On Indigo Flight?
As the plane took off and reached 100 nautical miles north of Bhubaneswar, one of its engines reportedly suffered a malfunction, where the pilot of the flight declared ‘PAN PAN PAN’ due to a malfunction in engine number 1. Indigo, in a statement, said that the emergency landing was due to a technical snag. “Full emergency was declared for IndiGo flight 6E-6271, operating on Delhi-Goa route after it was diverted to Mumbai due to one engine failure,” news agency PTI quoted a source as saying.
“A technical snag was detected on flight 6E 6271 while flying from Delhi to Manohar International Airport, Goa on July 16. Following procedures, the aircraft was diverted and landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai,” the IndiGo spokesperson said.
