NEW DELHI: An Emirates flight from Dubai to Delhi, carrying 357 people, including crew members, suffered damage to its nose cone at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday. The return leg of the flight has been postponed to Sunday.
According to airport sources, the incident occurred when the flight was landing on the runway near Terminal 3 at around 3.10 pm.
A source familiar with the incident said the nose cone of the Boeing 777-300, operating as flight EK517, was damaged in the incident. The flight, which was scheduled to depart from IGI Airport at 4.25 pm on Saturday, will now depart 15 hours later, at 7 am on Sunday.
In a statement, Emirates said, “Emirates flight EK517 from Dubai to Delhi on 17 October encountered a bird strike on arrival. As a result, the return flight EK517 from Delhi to Dubai will be delayed while the aircraft undergoes necessary repairs.”
It added that hotel accommodation was being arranged for affected passengers. The flight from Delhi to Dubai is scheduled to depart at 7 am on Sunday, it said.
The statement added, “Emirates apologises for any inconvenience caused. The safety of our passengers and crew is of the utmost importance and will not be compromised.”
Bird strike incidents at Delhi airport have risen over the past two years, with waste disposal practices and meat vending near the airport cited as the main reasons at an Airfield Environment Management Committee meeting held last month.