BIG BREAKING: Ranchi-Bound IndiGo Flight With 175 Onboard Suffers Bird Hit, Makes Emergency Landing

New Delhi: An IndiGo flight with 175 passengers onboard including crew members, suffered a bird hit, forcing the pilot to call for an emergency landing. Initial reports coming in suggest all passengers onboard the IndiGo flight that made an emergency landing are safe. 

"An IndiGo flight suffered a bird hit near Ranchi. It was approximately 10 to 12 nautical miles away from here, at about 3,000 to 4,000 feet altitude, when the incident occurred. The IndiGo flight was coming from Patna to Ranchi, and the pilot had to make an emergency landing here," Birsa Munda Airport, Ranchi, Director R R Maurya told PTI.

What is a Bird Hit? 

A Bird hit is referred to as a collision between a bird and an object, in this case, a flight. Bird strikes, though rare, are a critical safety concern in aviation, as they can potentially damage aircraft engines or vital systems. Passengers were provided with support and assistance following the incident.

IndiGo's Mid-Air Chaos With 220 Onboard

This comes days after a harrowing mid-air episode, where an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Srinagar carrying over 220 passengers, including a high-profile delegation of Trinamool Congress MPs, was battered by a sudden hailstorm on Wednesday after Pakistan denied the pilot’s emergency request to enter its airspace.

Flight 6E 2142 was cruising over Amritsar when the pilot noticed a looming turbulence threat and reached out to Lahore Air Traffic Control, requesting a short deviation through Pakistani airspace to avoid the storm. With relations between India and Pakistan strained following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, the request was rejected, forcing the aircraft to remain on its original path — straight into the turbulent weather system.

The aircraft endured severe turbulence mid-flight, sparking fear and panic inside the cabin. Videos posted by passengers show terrified flyers praying and crying as the plane shook violently. Despite the chaos, the pilot managed a safe landing at Srinagar International Airport, where passengers were immediately attended to. No injuries were reported.

“As per crew statement, they requested Northern control (IAF) for deviation towards the left (International Boarder) due to weather on the route; however, it was not approved. Later crew contacted Lahore to enter into their airspace to avoid the weather but the same was refused too. The crew initially attempted to return back, but as they were close to the thunderstorm cloud, they decided to penetrate the weather. Subsequently, they encountered hailstorm and severe turbulence. The crew chose to continue at the same heading to exit the weather by the shortest route towards Srinagar," DGCA in a statement said.