Ranchi: A Patna-to-Ranchi IndiGo flight was forced to make an emergency landing at Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Airport on Monday after a mid-air collision with a vulture, aviation authorities confirmed. The bird strike occurred at an altitude of 3,000 to 4,000 feet, approximately 10 to 12 nautical miles from the airport.
“All passengers and crew onboard the Airbus A320 are safe,” said an official, speaking to PTI. He noted that while there were no injuries, the aircraft sustained some damage from the impact. The incident was reported at 1:14 p.m. The aircraft, which was later scheduled to continue its journey to Kolkata, was grounded for inspection and repairs following the emergency landing, an official added.
This is the latest in a string of recent incidents involving IndiGo flights. Just a day earlier, a Raipur-Delhi IndiGo flight experienced intense turbulence due to a dust storm as it approached Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. Wind speeds reached up to 80 km/h, prompting the pilot to abort the landing and circle until conditions improved.
On May 21, another IndiGo flight en route from Delhi to Srinagar encountered severe turbulence caused by a hailstorm. The aircraft sustained visible damage to its nose, and the flight was forced to land in Srinagar after being denied permission to divert into Pakistani airspace.
These back-to-back incidents have raised concerns about the operational challenges faced by airlines during the summer season, marked by unpredictable weather patterns and increasing bird activity.