Air India Express flight to Bengaluru cancelled after bird strike at Vijayawada airport

The bird strike happened before takeoff, said an official. Representational Pic/File

A Bengaluru-bound Air India Express flight was cancelled on Thursday after it suffered a bird hit at the airport here, an airline official said, reported the PTI.

An eagle hit the nose of the aircraft while taxiing on the runway for takeoff, he said.

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As a result, the airline had to cancel the flight and make alternate arrangements for the 90 passengers on board.

"The bird strike happened before takeoff. It occurred when the aircraft was taxiing on the runway," the official told PTI.

In an official statement, Air India Express said, "The aircraft assigned to operate the Vijayawada-Bengaluru flight experienced a suspected bird strike at Vijayawada airport, leading to the cancellation of the service. We regret the inconvenience caused by circumstances beyond the airline's control."

All affected passengers have been offered options, including complimentary rescheduling or cancellation with a full refund, it added, as per the PTI.

Air India flight AI2913 returns to Delhi after engine fire warning

In an another incident, last week, an Air India flight operating from Delhi to Indore had on Saturday forced to return to Delhi shortly after take-off.

The flight returned to the national capital following a fire indication in one of its engines, the airline confirmed.

Flight AI2913 departed from Delhi. While going from Delhi to Indore, the cockpit crew reportedly received a fire warning for the right engine. After following the standard operating procedures, the pilots shut down the affected engine and initiated a return to Delhi, the ANI had earlier reported.

Addressing the related issue, Air India issued a statement highlighting that 'Flight AI2913, operating from Delhi to Indore on 31 August, air-returned to Delhi shortly after take-off, as the cockpit crew received a fire indication for the right engine. Following standard procedure, the cockpit crew elected to shut down the engine and returned to Delhi, where the flight landed safely," as cited by news agency ANI.

Highlighting that the incident did not cause a great panic among the travellers, the spokesperson from the airline said that, "The aircraft has been grounded for inspection, and passengers are being transferred to an alternative aircraft which will operate the flight to Indore shortly. The regulator has been duly informed of the incident," as cited by news agency ANI.

(With PTI and ANI inputs)