Hyderabad: A major accident was averted on Thursday morning when an IndiGo aircraft with 162 people on board suffered a bird strike while landing at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.
The Jaipur–Hyderabad flight, operating as 6E-816, managed to land safely despite the impact, officials said. All passengers were unharmed, reported ABN.
The incident comes weeks after a Vijayawada–Bengaluru Air India Express service was cancelled following a similar bird strike earlier this month.
Authorities noted that Hyderabad has seen a drop in such incidents, making it one of the safest international airports in the country in terms of wildlife hazards.
According to Ministry of Civil Aviation data presented in Parliament in July, the airport recorded just 16 bird-hit cases until June 2025, compared with 48 in 2023, 43 in 2024, and 38 in 2022.
In contrast, Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport reported the highest number of cases this year, with 41 bird strikes logged by June. Mumbai, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad were also listed among high-risk airports.
The government said all major airports are required to maintain a Wildlife Hazard Management Plan (WHMP) under Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) norms, including measures such as bird repellent systems, rodent and insect control, and awareness campaigns with local bodies.
