Srinagar, June 22: In a bizarre episode of its kind, a Delhi-bound Kingfisher flight from Srinagar was Tuesday diverted to Jaipur allegedly at the behest of a minister from Jammu and Kashmir on board, much to the annoyance of rest of the passengers, who have lodged a strong protest against the airline.
Sources said the Srinagar-Delhi Kingfisher flight (IT0353) was diverted to Jaipur allegedly after the minister of state for health and agriculture, Javaid Ahmad Dar prevailed upon the authorities to get the plane diverted so that he could get down at Jaipur.
The flight, according to the passengers on board, was scheduled to depart at 2.40 pm from the Srinagar International Airport but it took off at 3.50 pm. “When the flight reached Delhi, the pilot announced that there was congestion at the Delhi airport and he was running short of fuel, and has to therefore divert the flight to Jaipur,” said a group of passengers, pleading anonymity.
They said the plane was diverted at about 5.30 pm from Delhi to Jaipur. When it reached Jaipur, the minister, his wife and some other passengers were allowed to de-board at the Jaipur airport. “The plane stopped at the Jaipur airport for nearly an hour. Had it been a fuel problem, the plane would not have stayed at the Jaipur airport for over an hour, but for just 10 to 15 minutes,” the angry passengers told Greater Kashmir by phone from New Delhi.
They questioned how the minister, his wife and some other “influential passengers” were allowed to de-board at the Jaipur airport when they were Delhi-bound passengers.  “This is against the air traffic norms. You can’t allow a passenger to de-board half way. They can’t do it unless there is an extreme emergency,” they said.
Sources said the minister and his wife where scheduled to visit the shrine of Khawaja Moin-ud-Din Chisiti (RA) at Ajmer. “It can’t be a mere coincidence that the minister and his wife were scheduled to visit Ajmer and the flight was diverted to Jaipur. The airline must probe the matter and bring the facts before people because the diversion caused inconvenience to over 150 passengers on board,” they said.
After an hour long delay, the flight reached Delhi at 8 pm, where the passengers had a verbal dual with the Kingfisher officials.
When contacted, the Minister on board Javaid Ahmad Dar, refuted that the flight was diverted at his behest. “I am not that influential that they will divert the flight on my call. It was a mere coincidence and a miracle that I had to visit Ajmer and the flight was diverted to Jaipur. At Jaipur I requested the airline officials to allow me and my wife to de-board, which they accepted. That is it,” he told Greater Kashmir over phone from Jaipur.
The Srinagar-based airport manager of Kingfisher said the flight was diverted because of traffic congestion at Delhi. “There was heavy congestion at the Delhi airport. So the flight was diverted to Jaipur which is its alternate route,” the official said, adding, “The minister and his wife must have been allowed to de-board on request from them, which is not anything unusual.”

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