Bird strike: Air India flight from Colombo disrupted; lands safely in Chennai with 158 passengers on board

NEW DELHI: An Air India flight from Colombo to Chennai carrying 158 passengers experienced a bird strike on Tuesday, airport authorities said. The incident forced the airline to cancel the plane’s return journey.

The aircraft landed safely and all passengers got off without any injuries, officials added.

The bird strike was noticed after the plane had touched down at Chennai Airport.

The aircraft has been grounded for extensive checks and the airline decided to cancel its return journey as a precaution, the authorities said.

Air India arranged an alternate aircraft for 137 passengers, who later departed for Colombo.

Last month, an Air India flight from Hyderabad was forced to make an emergency landing at Visakhapatnam International Airport after a suspected bird strike caused engine trouble.