An Air India flight from Mumbai to Kolkata hit by a bird on monday, slightly bending the right engine blade.
The dent was discovered around 9.40 a.m., just before the flight to Mumbai with 123 passengers was about to take off, during a pre- embarkation check by the airline’s engineering team.
However, following a thorough inspection and immediate repairs, the passengers boarded the same plane around 1pm.
The Airbus A320 arrived at Kolkata airport from Mumbai at 8.20 a.m., carrying 117 passengers and six crew members. Passengers had already boarded the flight to Mumbai when the slight deformity in the right wing was discovered.
The passengers, however, were deboarded and forced to wait at the airport while the plane was taken to the apron for a safety check.
DGCA Data Shows 52% Increase In Aircraft Bird Hit Incidents In 2022
Bird strike incidents in Indian airspace increased by 52% as commercial aviation significantly increased in 2022, following the pandemic.
The country saw 2,174 aircraft bird strike incidents last year, up from 1,430 in 2021, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
In addition to bird strikes, animal strikes at airports increased from 23 in 2021 to 36 in 2022, according to data examined by Business Standard from the DGCA.
The increase in incidents is attributed to the post-pandemic increase in flights in 2022, according to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which manages more than 100 airports throughout the nation.
According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, the total number of scheduled domestic and international flights in Indian airspace increased by 32.29% in 2022 to 1.3 million.
Bird and animal strikes are regarded as one of the most serious threats to flight operations.
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