An IndiGo flight from Patna to Delhi made an emergency landing shortly after takeoff on Wednesday morning following a bird strike, which caused a technical issue in one of the aircraft’s engines. All 175 passengers and crew members on board the flight, IGO5009, were reported safe, according to airport authorities.
The incident occurred soon after the aircraft departed Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport at 8:42 AM IST. “IGO5009 Patna to Delhi reported bird hit after takeoff at 0842 IST, one dead bird in pieces found on runway during inspection. The same was advised to the aircraft through the Approach Control Unit,” stated Patna airport in a release.
Emergency Landing Carried Out Within 20 Minutes
The pilot detected engine vibrations following the strike and requested to return to Patna. A local emergency protocol was activated. The aircraft safely landed at 9:03 AM on runway 7, and passengers were safely evacuated without injury.
“The aircraft requested to come back to Patna due to vibration in one engine. Local stand-by declared and aircraft landed safely at 0903 IST on runway 7. All passengers are safe,” the airport statement added.
Flight Under Inspection, Alternate Arrangements Underway
Airport officials confirmed that the aircraft would undergo a full technical inspection. IndiGo will arrange alternate flights to send passengers to their intended destination, they added.
Bees Cause Another Delay for IndiGo in Surat
In a separate incident on Monday, an IndiGo flight from Surat to Jaipur was delayed by nearly an hour due to a swarm of bees gathering on the aircraft just before departure. The unusual incident took place at Surat International Airport, minutes before the scheduled takeoff.
Airport staff used smoke and water sprays to disperse the bees, but the process delayed the flight, which was scheduled to leave at 4:20 PM. A video capturing the swarm on top of the aircraft has gone viral on social media.