What happened?
The flight, which departed from Hyderabad at 3 pm on Sunday, encountered severe weather conditions while approaching Hubballi, forcing the pilot to abort landing.
Originally scheduled to land at 4:30 pm, the aircraft continued circling mid-air over regions including Mundgod, Davanagere, and Shivamogga.
Passengers gripped by fear
Fear and anxiety took over the cabin as passengers prayed while the aircraft hovered in turbulent conditions.
Several flyers were seen in tears, with cries of panic captured in a viral video.
Some passengers were also heard trying to calm others who were visibly distressed during the prolonged ordeal.
A #Fly91Airlines IC3401 (ATR turboprop AT7) flight from #Hyderabad to #Hubballi caused panic after it failed to land at its scheduled time and instead touched down in #Bengaluru nearly four hours late. The flight, which took off from Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport… pic.twitter.com/1ahlEcCHKL
— News9 (@News9Tweets) April 20, 2026
Airline clarifies
The airline refuted reports suggesting that flight IC3401 had developed a technical snag.
The airline said the aircraft encountered bad weather near Hubballi and was diverted to Bengaluru in line with standard safety protocols.
“There was zero compromise on safety. Holding the aircraft over Hubballi and diverting to Bengaluru was part of standard operating procedure. This is among the best practices adopted by the industry,” the airline said.