Bird Hit: Air India Express Flight Makes Emergency Landing Near Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam Airport director S Raja Reddy said the pilot of Air India Express flight number IX 2658 requested for the emergency landing and returned to the port city after abandoning the journey to Hyderabad
Visakhapatnam: An Air India Express (AIE) aircraft bound for Hyderabad made an emergency return to Visakhapatnam airport on Thursday afternoon following a bird hit that damaged the aircraft's engine. The Airbus A320 aircraft, with registration number VT-EXC, operating Flight IX 2658, had departed Visakhapatnam at 2.38 pm with 103 passengers on board. Nine minutes into the flight, at 2.47 pm, the air traffic control received a distress message from the crew, reporting a suspected bird strike on Engine 2.
The bird hit occurred roughly 10 nautical miles from the Visakhapatnam airport. It was suspected that the bird hit damaged the engine's fan blades. The pilot initiated emergency procedures and executed a safe return to Visakhapatnam, touching down at 3 pm – just 22 minutes after the initial departure.
A statement from the airport authority said, “All 103 passengers were safely evacuated from the aircraft without any injuries."
The AIE management made alternative travel arrangements for the passengers. The airline provided multiple options to accommodate travellers, with some passengers choosing immediate refunds while others opted to reschedule their journeys.
