NEW DELHI: Akasa Air flight, with over 200 passengers on board from Pune to Delhi, was hit by a bird. However, the aircraft landed safely at Indira Gandhi International Airport.
The Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft had departed from Pune at 7.50 am. The incident happened around 10 am at the Delhi airport. An airline statement said, "The aircraft landed safely, and all passengers and crew members were deplaned."
The statement added, "The aircraft is being examined by our engineering team in accordance with Akasa Air’s standard operating procedures and will be released for service after a thorough inspection."
A different aircraft is being arranged for the flight to depart from Delhi.
Over 2,000 bird/animal hits have been reported annually in 20 major airports since 2023, with 641 hits reported until June 2025, according to
data shared by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Delhi seems to bear the maximum brunt of such strikes and has averaged 400-plus incidents annually in the last three years. It had 442 strikes in 2022, 616 in 2023 and 419 in 2024, the data shows. In 2025, it has recorded 95 hits until June.