Raipur-Bound IndiGo Flight Halted at Lucknow After Monkeys Invade Runway

Lucknow- An unusual security breach at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow caused a brief on Thursday morning after a troop of monkeys appeared onto the active runway

The intrusion forced an IndiGo aircraft bound for Raipur to abruptly halt its take-off.  Airport authorities and wildlife management teams were quickly summoned to take charge of the situation.  

The incident involved flight 6E 6521, which was carrying approximately 150 passengers and crew. At around 9:00 am, as the Airbus A320 was accelerating and had covered nearly a third of the runway, the cockpit crew spotted the animals moving across their path. Prioritizing safety, the pilots immediately executed an aborted take-off, bringing the aircraft to a controlled stop before it could reach liftoff speed.  Th plane was taxied back to the apron for inspection and refuelling, leading to a delay of over an hour.

The aircraft eventually received clearance and departed for Raipur at 10:04 am.  The presence of the animals also impacted other air traffic. An Air India Express flight arriving from abroad was forced to perform a "go-around," circling the airspace twice until ground teams could confirm the runway was secure. A

Airport officials believe the monkeys may have entered the high-security zone from a nearby mango orchard in Rahimabad. Following a thorough check by the airport's wildlife management unit, regular operations resumed, with authorities scheduling a high-level meeting with forest officials to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

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