A Ranchi-bound IndiGo flight had to make an emergency landing on Monday after being hit by a bird mid-air, according to a report by PTI news agency. Thankfully, all 175 passengers on board were unharmed.
Officials shared that the aircraft was struck by a vulture when it was flying at an altitude of around 4,000 feet. The impact caused some damage to the plane.
“An IndiGo flight suffered a bird hit near Ranchi. It was approximately 10 to 12 nautical miles away from here, at about 3,000 to 4,000 feet altitude, when the incident occurred. The IndiGo flight was coming from Patna to Ranchi, and the pilot had to make an emergency landing here,” Birsa Munda Airport, Ranchi, Director R R Maurya told PTI.
He further added, “The aircraft suffered a dent after being hit by a vulture. Engineers are assessing the damage.”
This is not the only recent incident involving IndiGo flights. Just a day earlier, on Sunday, another IndiGo flight from Raipur to Delhi (Flight 6E 6313) ran into serious turbulence while approaching Delhi due to a strong dust storm. Due to the intense weather conditions, the pilot was forced to abort landing and circle above the airport until conditions improved. The flight eventually landed safely.
In a separate incident a few weeks ago, a Srinagar-bound IndiGo flight also faced major turbulence after taking off from Delhi’s IGI Airport. The plane was caught in a heavy hailstorm near Pathankot in Punjab, which caused visible damage to its nose.
These back-to-back incidents highlight the challenges airlines face due to both wildlife and extreme weather conditions, though in all cases, the safety of passengers was successfully maintained.
