Pune Airport News: Star Air Flight From Nanded Delayed 4 Hours After Bird Strike
Pune Airport News
Passengers traveling on a regional Star Air flight between Nanded and Pune faced a frustrating four-hour wait on Wednesday after an earlier bird strike grounded the assigned aircraft. The delay sparked anger at the terminal, with flyers criticizing the lack of timely updates from airline staff.
Star Air flight S5-249, which operates under the government’s regional air connectivity programme (UDAN), was significantly pushed back:
| Milestone | Scheduled Time | Actual Time | Delay |
| Departure (Nanded) | 1:30 PM | ~5:30 PM | ~4 hours |
| Arrival (Pune) | 2:40 PM | 6:12 PM | ~3 hours 32 mins |
Because the incoming aircraft arrived late into Pune, the subsequent return flight from Pune back to Nanded was also delayed, creating a knock-on disruption for afternoon travelers.
According to a Star Air spokesperson, the disruption began hours earlier in Goa rather than on the Nanded–Pune route itself:
- Morning Incident: The aircraft originally took off from Manohar International Airport in Mopa (Goa) for Nanded at 8:42 AM, but suffered a bird strike shortly after departure and had to return to Goa, landing safely at 9:02 AM.
- Safety Grounding: Following the impact, the plane was declared temporarily unairworthy for mandatory safety inspections.
- Alternate Arrangement: Star Air arranged a replacement aircraft to operate the Pune–Nanded–Pune sectors. The airline also noted that flight timings had recently been adjusted twice due to the transition from the summer to winter schedule, final slot approvals, and airport watch-hour restrictions.
Waiting passengers expressed frustration over poor ground communication during the four-hour wait. One flyer noted that the absence of clear updates made the situation worse, adding that repeated delays on subsidized routes reflect poorly on the UDAN regional connectivity scheme.
Ajeet Yadav is an aviation enthusiast covering airline news, airports, aircraft, and industry developments through well-researched and reliable reporting.
