A Delhi-bound IndiGo flight from Surat was diverted to Ahmedabad after a bird was hit during a climb, according to an official statement issued by the DGCA on Sunday.
“Due to a bird strike during climb at Surat, the Indigo A320 aircraft VT-IZI operating flight 6E-646 was diverted to Ahmedabad on February 26, 2023. The N1 vibration was 4.7. The plane arrived safely in Ahmedabad,” read the statement.
The engine fan blades were found to be broken during the ground inspection, news agency ANI reported citing an official statement from the DGCA.
“During the ground inspection, No.2 Engine fan blades were seen to be damaged. Aircraft declared AOG (Aircraft on Ground)”, it said.
Earlier on February 25, an IndiGo flight from Cochin to Delhi was diverted to Bhopal due to a medical issue on board, the airline stated in a statement.
In recent months, there has been an increase in reports of bird strikes on aircraft both globally and in India. According to data from DGCA, bird strikes increased by 27.25 percent in 2021, rising from 1,152 incidents in 2020 to 1,466 in 2021.
As per International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) survey of data from 91 countries, airlines face an average of 34 bird strikes per day.
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