Bird strike on Air India flight at Thiruvananthapuram Airport; return flight cancelled

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A bird strike occurred on an Air India flight from Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram during landing at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. The aircraft was descending at an altitude of just 200 feet when the bird strike took place. Despite the impact, the pilot managed a safe landing and subsequently reported the incident to airport authorities.

Preliminary assessments indicated no visible damage to the aircraft. However, as a precautionary measure, a detailed technical inspection has been initiated, leading to the cancellation of the scheduled return flight to Delhi. Passengers have been accommodated in nearby hotels, and the flight is expected to resume operations later today upon clearance.

In a related development, adverse weather conditions, including heavy rainfall, forced the diversion of two flights originally bound for Kochi. An Air India Express flight from Bengaluru landed in Thiruvananthapuram at 8:42 PM, followed by an IndiGo flight from Hyderabad at 8:52 PM.

Additionally, Air India cancelled five international services on the same day, further affecting air travel schedules. Airport authorities are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating efforts to minimise passenger inconvenience.