IndiGo flight to Delhi makes emergency landing at Patna airport after bird hit

“All passengers are safe, and the aircraft returned safely after suffering a bird strike shortly after takeoff,”said Krishna Mohan Nehra, Patna Airport director

An IndiGo Airlines flight (6E 5009) from Patna to Delhi, carrying 169 passengers, suffered a bird strike immediately after taking off from Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport in Patna on Wednesday morning.

The aircraft had taken off from Patna at 8.42 a when it suffered the bird strike and returned immediately. (PTI)

"All passengers are safe, and the aircraft returned safely after suffering a bird strike shortly after takeoff," said Krishna Mohan Nehra, Director of Patna Airport.

The aircraft had taken off from Patna at 8.42 a when it suffered the bird strike and returned immediately thereafter.

"We are making alternate arrangements for the passengers, as the aircraft has been grounded," said an airline official, requesting anonymity.

Slaughterhouses in the Phulwarisharif locality near Patna Airport attract birds. The Airports Authority of India has regularly flagged the problem of avian activity near the airport to the state government due to the presence of the abattoirs.

Patna Airport is among the 11 most critical airports in India due to multiple obstructions and its short runway.

The Bihar government has requested the Centre to send a multidisciplinary team to assess the obstructions and suggest remedial measures. Bihar Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena had written to the Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation in June regarding this matter. The Central team is awaited. The Centre has yet to respond to the state's request for the multidisciplinary team.