An IndiGo flight travelling from Kolkata to Hyderabad’s Shamshabad airport suffered a bird hit on Monday. The pilot followed standard safety procedures and landed the aircraft safely.
According to reports,
there were 118 passengers on board, and all of them are safe. Airport authorities were informed immediately after the landing.
More details about the incident, including any impact on flight schedules, are awaited.
This is the second such incident in a month. Earlier, a Mumbai-to-Dehradun IndiGo flight was hit by a bird just minutes before landing at Jolly Grant Airport on November 23. The strike damaged the front of the aircraft, but the plane landed safely with all 186 passengers on board.
A bird strike occurs when a bird collides with an aircraft, usually during take-off or landing at lower altitudes. Most strikes are minor and do not affect flight safety, but they are taken seriously because impacts can damage sensitive parts of the aircraft. Commonly affected areas include the nose cone, windshield, wings and landing lights. The biggest risk is to the engines, particularly if a large bird is ingested. Modern jet engines can withstand small-bird impacts, but larger birds can cause vibration, power loss or engine shutdown.
When a bird strike occurs, pilots immediately inform air traffic control and proceed to land if airborne. After touchdown, engineers inspect the aircraft for structural or mechanical damage. The plane is cleared for further operations only after all safety checks are completed. Airports also use bird-scaring measures, lasers and trained personnel to keep birds away from runways and reduce the risk of such incidents.
