Bengaluru Airport News
An IndiGo flight operating from Bengaluru to Mumbai was delayed on Friday after the aircraft suffered a bird strike while preparing for departure. The incident occurred when the aircraft was taxiing on the runway and gaining speed for takeoff, prompting the flight crew to return the aircraft to the bay for safety inspections.
According to sources, the affected aircraft was an Airbus A321Neo. Following the bird hit, the pilot decided to discontinue the departure process and return to the parking bay so that mandatory technical checks could be carried out. Safety inspections included examinations of both engines to ensure that no damage had occurred as a result of the strike.
After the inspections were completed, the aircraft was declared safe for operations. The flight subsequently resumed its journey to Mumbai after a delay of more than one hour.
A passenger onboard the aircraft said the plane had already picked up speed and was preparing for takeoff when the bird strike took place. The passenger also noted that it took over an hour before the flight was cleared to depart again following the required checks and inspections.
The number of passengers travelling on the flight was not immediately known. Meanwhile, comments from IndiGo regarding the incident were awaited at the time of reporting.
Flight tracking data showed that IndiGo flight 6E-6283 was scheduled to depart from Bengaluru for Mumbai at 7:04 pm. However, following the bird strike and subsequent safety procedures, the aircraft eventually departed at 8:46 pm, resulting in a delay of more than an hour.
Bird strikes are treated as serious aviation safety events because they can potentially affect aircraft systems, particularly engines. As a precautionary measure, airlines conduct detailed inspections before allowing an aircraft to continue its journey. In this case, the inspections confirmed that the Airbus A321Neo was fit for service, enabling the flight to proceed safely to its destination in Mumbai.
