Hyderabad-Bound AI Express Flight Suffers Bird Hit, Makes Emergency Landing in Vizag

Visakhapatnam: On Thursday, an Air India Express flight carrying 103 passengers from Visakhapatnam to Hyderabad had to make an emergency landing here due to an engine issue that occurred after a suspected bird struck in midair, according to an official. 

According to S Raja Reddy, director of Visakhapatnam Airport, the pilot of Air India Express aircraft IX 2658 asked for an emergency landing and left the flight to Hyderabad, returning to the port city.

"The pilot reported some engine issues after leaving Vizag. He thus requested an emergency landing and went back to Vizag. Reddy told the media, “The flight landed safely, and passengers were deboarded. The airline is making other arrangements.” 

The director stated that the aircraft left Vizag at 2:38 pm and returned at 3 pm, covering a distance of only about 10 nautical miles. The bird hit was thought to have happened during the ascent.

Air India Express, in a statement, stated, “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.” 

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