A Delhi-bound IndiGo flight carrying around 175 passengers returned to Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport in Patna after takeoff on Wednesday morning as one of its engines developed a technical snag due to a bird hit, airport officials said. All passengers and crew were safe, they said.
The flight will undergo inspection, and the airlines will make alternate arrangements for the passengers to reach their intended destination.
Flight IGO5009 from Patna to Delhi reported a bird hit shortly after takeoff at 08:42 IST. During a runway inspection, the remains of a dead bird were found in pieces. This information was communicated to the aircraft via the Approach Control Unit. Subsequently, a message was received from the Approach Control Unit stating that the aircraft had requested to return to Patna due to vibrations in one of its engines. A local standby was declared, and the aircraft landed safely on Runway 7 at 09:03 IST. All passengers are safe,” a statement issued by Patna airport said.
In a similar incident due to a bird hit, a separate IndiGo aircraft was grounded just minutes before take off in Bhubaneshwar in June. Bound for Kolkata, the 6E 6101 was aborted after the pausabiliy of a mid-flight technical snag was avoided.