Indigo flight crashes near Thiruvananthapuram: 179 passengers on board, rescue ops underway

Kerala: An IndiGo flight was grounded after it was hit by a bird during take-off preparations at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. The incident occurred when IndiGo flight 6E 6629, carrying 179 passengers, was preparing to take off, airport officials said. After the incident, the plane was taken back to the bay for inspection, airport officials said. To avoid passenger safety, the airline chose to cancel the flight and arrange for the upset travelers by other means, they added.

A similar accident in December 2024

In December last year, a Delhi-Shillong flight made an emergency landing at the Jai Prakash Narayan International Airport in Patna after a bird struck and made it execute an emergency landing at the airport. Passengers were deplaned safely.

How frequent is it to collide with birds?

Most of the time, there are instances of birds colliding with planes. If a plane collides with a bird, it is referred to as a 'bird collision' or 'bird attack'. Over the past few years, hundreds of bird collision incidents have been reported globally. Reports indicate that over 250 aircraft have been impacted globally because of bird impacts. Last year in December, 124 individuals on an airplane were killed in a bird collision tragedy in South Korea.

Bird attack and its impact

As noted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), bird strikes continue to pose a major aviation security issue, with 90% of bird strikes happening at airports. These bird strikes typically happen when aircraft are taking off, landing or cruising in low altitudes, where birds are most active.

262 bird hits deaths since 1988

The effects of bird strikes are determined by various factors, such as the class of aircraft involved. In certain instances, bird strikes may lead to engine failure that can be extremely hazardous. For single-engine and light aircraft, the events may prove to be fatal. There have been 262 fatalities worldwide from bird strikes and 250 aircraft have been lost since 1988.