Air Asia flight headed for Mumbai, was grounded on Saturday morning after a bird hit the plane at the Ranchi Airport. All the passengers have been reported safe.
Major crisis averted
Air Asia's flight number i5-632 was grounded at the Ranchi Airport on Saturday morning. An Airport official told ANI. The flight which would have reached Mumbai was grounded due to a bird-hit.
Collisions with birds can prove extremely dangerous for flights. The bird hit the Air Asia flight during takeoff following which the plane was immediately grounded. The flight will take off once all procedures are followed. Airport Direct Vinod Sharma confirmed the news to India Today.
As birds can hit planes during takeoff or in flight, the hit can damage the structure and sometimes the aircraft engine as well. All the 176 passengers on the 180-seat aircraft are safe according to local reports.
In its updated statement Air Asia explained the events:
"AirAsia India aircraft VT-HKG operating from Ranchi to Mumbai as flight i5-632 encountered a bird hit during scheduled departure at 11:50 hours today 8th August 2020. The pilot aborted take-off and the aircraft was grounded for further inspection.
VT-RJT from Kolkata is being made available as an alternative to ferry guests from Ranchi to Mumbai and all our guests are being attended to and served refreshments by oir guest services staff.
Air Asia India prioritises the safety of our guests and crew and regrets the inconvenience caused on account of this delay."
This incident comes soon after the Kozhikode air crash on Friday evening, which shocked the nation after an Air India aircraft crashed into a 35 feet valley after it overshot the runway. The aircraft had 190 passengers on board, 18 passengers and the 2 pilots were killed in the mishap.
