An Air India flight from Colombo to Chennai was called off on Tuesday after the aircraft suffered a bird hit, PTI reported. The plane, carrying 158 passengers, was grounded following the incident as a safety precaution.
According to PTI reports, the plane landed safely, and all passengers deboarded without any issues. The airline had to cancel its return journey. The bird hit was reportedly detected after the aircraft touched down at the airport, according to airport authorities. Air India engineers carried out a thorough inspection of the aircraft. To avoid further disruption, the airline arranged an alternative aircraft, which later flew 137 passengers back to Colombo, officials said.
Air India Boeing Dreamliner cancelled
The recent Air India cancellation comes just a day after Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner made an emergency landing. The flight, traveling from Amritsar to Birmingham, faced a mid-air scare following an ‘uncommanded’ deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT). The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has ordered an investigation into the matter. According to authorities, the RAT was deployed at around 400 feet. The pilot, however, did not flag any issue or report any operational discrepancies, according to PTI.
“The maintenance actions for uncommanded RAT deployment recommended by Boeing have been carried out, and no discrepancy was observed,” the official said. RAT is deployed either automatically or manually when there is a major system failure. It supplies emergency hydraulic and electrical power for essential flight controls, helping the aircraft land safely.
In a statement, Air India confirmed that the RAT was indeed deployed while the aircraft was approaching Birmingham. They are currently running checks to determine what went wrong and confirmed its grounding. “The operating crew of flight AI117 from Amritsar to Birmingham on 04 October 2025 detected deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) of the aircraft during its final approach. All electrical and hydraulic parameters were found normal, and the aircraft performed a safe landing at Birmingham,” the statement read.
It added that the aircraft has been grounded for additional checks: “The aircraft has been grounded for further checks and consequently, AI114 from Birmingham to Delhi has been cancelled. Alternative arrangements are being made to accommodate the guests.”