Flight Operations
On January 5, 2014, Air India Ltd. operated flight AI-889 from Delhi to Guwahati and Imphal, and the return flight AI-890 from Imphal to Guwahati and Delhi. The same flight crew and cabin crew were rostered for all four sectors. The aircraft was an Airbus A-320-231, initially assigned registration VT-ESL but later changed to VT-ESH. The flight was under the command of an ATPL holder, with another ATPL holder serving as First Officer (FO). The Commander was CAT III qualified; the FO was CAT I qualified. Four cabin crew members were onboard.
Weather and Fuel Considerations
The last leg, Guwahati to Delhi, departed at 1205 UTC with 173 passengers. The fuel requirement was 12.2 tonnes; however, the commander ordered an additional 500 kg, bringing total fuel onboard to 12.7 tonnes, citing anticipated traffic congestion and weather at Delhi. The filed alternates were Lucknow and Jaipur. Weather reports indicated Lucknow visibility of 2000 meters, and Delhi's weather at 11:05 UTC showed RVR 500 meters for runway 29, general visibility 150 meters, with temperature and dew point both at 12°C. A SPECI for Jaipur at 1130 UTC reported visibility 3000 meters and haze.
Diversion to Jaipur
En route, no flight following was provided by Air India dispatch or IOCC. The crew did not seek weather updates until contacting Delhi ATC. On approach, the aircraft entered holding due to low visibility; runway 29 was below CAT I minima, and the FO was only CAT I qualified. After three holds, the crew attempted an ILS approach to runway 28, but RVR dropped below CAT I minima, prompting a missed approach. The crew then decided to divert to Jaipur, despite Lucknow being the primary alternate, because they were closer to Jaipur and had inquired about visibility from dispatch, which reported 2000 meters. Minimum diversion fuel to Jaipur was 2.9 tonnes; the aircraft had 3.1 tonnes onboard.
Upon first contact with Jaipur ATC at 68 DME, the crew received ATIS weather: visibility 900 meters, RVR 1000 meters. As the aircraft descended, Jaipur ATC updated weather to visibility 400 meters and RVR 1000 meters, with a trend to 350 meters. The crew conducted an ILS approach via a 10 DME arc. The source does not specify the outcome of the landing; it concludes with the aircraft at 28 DME from Jaipur, preparing for the approach.
All events described are based solely on the official investigation report. No analysis or causal links are added.