BHUBANESWAR: An IndiGo flight en route to Kolkata was aborted before take off after being reportedly hit by a bird on the runway at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here on Wednesday evening.
BPIA sources said IndiGo flight 6E-6101 was grounded after it could not depart from the city airport. The flight was scheduled to depart from BPIA at 4.20 pm and arrive at Kolkata by 5.15 pm. However, it was cancelled after the pilot had to abruptly abort the take off due to a bird hit.
“There is a possibility that the aircraft may have sustained severe wear and tear after intermittently de-accelerating on the runway while aborting takeoff. The plane needs to be thoroughly inspected before resuming operations,” said a BPIA official.
This comes amid concerns over frequent bird-hit incidents at the airport. BPIA is located in the heart of the city and with many temporary food stalls and fish markets around, the airport’s periphery is prone to bird activity, said experts.