An Air India Express flight made an emergency landing at the Visakhapatnam Airport on Thursday following a suspected bird hit incident. The flight was bound for Hyderabad but cut short its journey after the incident.
Visakhapatnam Airport director N Purushottam said the pilot of Air India Express flight IX 2658 requested an emergency landing and returned to the port city after abandoning the journey to Hyderabad.
"After departing Vizag, the pilot reported some problem in the engine. So, he asked for an emergency landing and returned to Vizag. The flight landed safely and passengers were deboarded," Purushottam told PTI, adding that the airline is making alternative arrangements.
According to him, the aircraft took off from Vizag at 2.38 pm and returned by 3 pm, covering only about 10 nautical miles. The suspected bird hit is believed to have occurred during ascent.
In a statement, Air India said, "One of our aircraft suffered a bird strike at Visakhapatnam and returned to the airport after take-off. The flight had to be cancelled pending certification of the aircraft’s feasibility to return to service. We regret the inconvenience and have offered multiple options to impacted guests, including complimentary rescheduling to our next flight on the same day, or a full refund if they elect to cancel."
AI Express flight suffers engine snag
Earlier this month, a Delhi-Indore Air India Express flight with 161 passengers on board experienced an engine fault mid-air on September 5, prompting the pilot to issue a 'PAN-PAN' call indicating a non-life-threatening emergency. The aircraft, however, landed safely at Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport in Indore with a delay of just 20 minutes, officials said. Flight IX 1028 was scheduled to arrive at 9:35 am, but touched down at 9:55 am.
Airport Director Vipinkant Seth said all necessary precautions were taken after the technical issue was reported. Emergency fire and medical teams were kept on standby, and the aircraft landed safely with all passengers and crew unharmed, he added.
