Faced with rapidly deteriorating weather conditions and limited alternatives, the crew initially considered turning back but ultimately decided to fly through the storm to minimise exposure time.

While cruising at around 36,000 feet near Pathankot in Punjab, the aircraft entered a thunderstorm zone. The crew first contacted the Indian Air Force-controlled northern air traffic control (ATC) seeking permission to deviate towards Pakistani airspace to bypass the storm.

Pakistan reportedly rejected an Indian commercial flight crew’s request to enter its airspace to avoid turbulence after the aircraft was caught in a storm. The IndiGo flight from New Delhi to Srinagar in India -administered Kashmir,