Hyderabad: A major accident was averted on Thursday morning, September 25, after an Indigo flight suffered a bird strike while landing at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.
The aircraft, operating as 6E-816 from Jaipur in Rajasthan, was carrying 162 passengers. The pilots managed to land the plane safely despite the impact from the strike, averting a major disaster, reported ABN.
Earlier this month, a Vijayawada-Bengaluru Air India Express flight also suffered a bird strike, following which the airline cancelled the service.
Hyderabad among safest international airports in India
It is pertinent to note that this year, Hyderabad airport has recorded a decrease in bird-hitting cases, making it one of the safest international airports in India in terms of wildlife threats.
On July 21, answering a query by Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, the Ministry of Civil Aviation revealed Hyderabad had only 16 bird-hit incidents until June 2025, whereas 48 occurred in 2023 and 43 in 2024. The airport had reported 38 bird-hit incidents in 2022.
Stats of other airports
In contrast with Hyderabad, Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport reported the highest number of bird strikes this year, with 41 cases already recorded till June. Other high-risk airports include Mumbai, Bangalore and Ahmedabad.
The government said that all major airports need to have a Wildlife Hazard Management Plan (WHMP) in accordance with Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) guidelines. These encompass bird repellent methods, rodent control, insect control, and awareness drives in collaboration with local bodies.
