A Ranchi-bound IndiGo flight carrying 175 passengers was forced to make an emergency landing on Monday due to a bird hit at an altitude of 4,000 feet, officials said. Although the aircraft suffered damage, all the passengers on board were safe.
Commenting on the incident, the director of Birsa Munda Airport, Ranchi, R R Maurya, told PTI, "An IndiGo flight suffered a bird hit near Ranchi. It was approximately 10 to 12 nautical miles away from here at an altitude of 3,000 to 4,000 feet when the incident occurred. The IndiGo flight was coming from Patna to Ranchi, and the pilot had to make an emergency landing here."
"The aircraft suffered a dent after being hit by a vulture. Engineers are assessing the damage," he further added.
A day before, a Delhi-bound IndiGo flight experienced major turbulence due to the intense weather in the national capital.
Considering the severity of the weather, the pilot aborted landing at Delhi airport and circled in the air until the weather conditions improved for landing.
On May 21, an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Srinagar carrying over 220 passengers encountered turbulence due to adverse weather conditions, prompting the pilot to declare an emergency with Srinagar air traffic control. The plane landed safely in Srinagar and has been grounded for further assessment.
Social media videos show the intense moments of turbulence, with frightened passengers audible in the background, reciting religious supplications as the plane shakes.
An official of the Airport Authority of India said, "IndiGo flight 6E2142 en route Delhi to Srinagar experienced bad weather (hail storm), emergency reported by Pilot to ATC SXR (Srinagar)."
In a statement, IndiGo said its flight from the national capital to Srinagar encountered a sudden hailstorm and the plane landed safely at the Srinagar airport.
