Air India Nagpur-Delhi Flight Returns After Bird Hit Shortly After Take-Off

Nagpur: An Air India flight operating from Nagpur to Delhi on Friday was forced to return to Nagpur soon after take-off following a bird strike, the airline confirmed.

"Flight AI466, operating from Nagpur to Delhi, on 24 October, experienced a bird-hit shortly after take-off. The crew decided to return to Nagpur as a precautionary measure, as per standard operating procedure, for inspection of the aircraft," an Air India spokesperson was quoted as saying by News agency ANI.

"The aircraft landed safely in Nagpur and underwent maintenance checks which required extended time for rectification resulting in the cancellation of the flight. Our ground team at Nagpur provided immediate assistance to the passengers, including serving meals to them," the airline added.

Earlier in the week, an Air India flight from Mumbai to Newark, AI191, made a precautionary return to the city on Tuesday after the crew detected a suspected technical issue. The aircraft landed safely at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport without any harm to passengers or crew, the airline confirmed.

Earlier on Wednesday, an IndiGo flight from Kolkata to Srinagar made an emergency landing at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, after a fuel leak was detected.