On Wednesday morning, an Air India flight heading to Mumbai had to abort its take-off at Goa’s Dabolim Airport due to a bird hit, announced the airline.
Issuing a statement, an Air India spokesperson said ‘Air India Flight AI684 from Dabolim, Goa, to Mumbai, to experienced a bird-hit during its take-off run. The cockpit crew discontinued the take-off as per the Standard Operating Procedures to ensure safety of the customers and crew. All passengers had disembarked safely and the aircraft went for necessary inspection following the incident.’
“Air India flight AI684 from Goa, Dabolim to Mumbai this morning experienced a bird-hit during its take-off run. The cockpit crew discontinued the take-off as per Standard Operating Procedures to ensure safety of customers and crew. All passengers had disembarked safely, and the… pic.twitter.com/WApVHWJzcE
— ANI (@ANI) August 14, 2024
Further, the spokesperson also revealed that all assistance was provided to the passengers. Alternative arrangements were made to ensure they reached their destination as soon as possible.
In addition, they were given full refunds for cancellations. They also offered complimentary rescheduling to a later date if they preferred.
As per airport director MC Jayarajan, this incident happened at 6:45 a.m. After the bird strike, smoke started to come from the aircraft’s engine, leading to the take-off being aborted.
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He also called this incident a ‘serious matter.’ He also stated that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will address the issue of birds on the runway with the Indian Navy.