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A Ranchi-bound IndiGo flight was forced to make an emergency landing on Monday following a bird strike, according to reports. The incident occurred mid-air, but all 175 passengers on board were reported safe. Officials stated that the aircraft was hit by a vulture while flying at an altitude of around 4,000 feet. The impact caused noticeable damage to the aircraft.

“An IndiGo flight suffered a bird hit near Ranchi. It was approximately 10 to 12 nautical miles away from here, at about 3,000 to 4,000 feet altitude, when the incident occurred. The IndiGo flight was coming from Patna to Ranchi, and the pilot had to make an emergency landing here,” said RR Maurya, Director of Birsa Munda Airport, Ranchi.

Jharkhand | An IndiGo aircraft carrying passengers from Patna to Ranchi reported a bird hit while making an inbound turn to land, approximately 10 to 12 nautical miles from the airport at an altitude of 3,000 to 4,000 feet. The bird was suspected to be a large one, possibly a… https://t.co/vPNzi0Jl2Q

— ANI (@ANI) June 2, 2025

He further confirmed that the aircraft sustained a dent due to the bird strike, and engineers are currently assessing the extent of the damage.

This incident adds to a series of recent challenges faced by IndiGo flights. On Sunday, another IndiGo flight — this one operating from Raipur to Delhi (Flight 6E 6313) — encountered severe turbulence caused by adverse weather conditions over the national capital. The aircraft had to circle above the Delhi airport for some time before being able to land safely due to a heavy dust storm. The pilot had initially aborted the landing attempt and waited for conditions to improve before proceeding.

Just weeks earlier, a Srinagar-bound IndiGo flight also suffered significant turbulence shortly after take-off from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. The aircraft encountered a severe hailstorm near Pathankot, Punjab, which caused damage to the aircraft's nose.

During that flight, the pilots requested permission to enter Pakistani airspace in order to avoid the storm system, but the request was denied by both the Indian Air Force and Lahore Air Traffic Control. Despite the turbulence and weather-related challenges, the plane eventually continued its course and landed safely in Srinagar.

These incidents have drawn attention to the operational hazards faced by airlines due to both natural and environmental factors such as bird activity and sudden weather changes.

 

Also Read: DGCA probes IndiGo mid-air scare after Pakistan airspace denial