Bird strikes force two planes to return, cabin glitch hits third

IN SEPARATE incidents, two SpiceJet aircraft returned to their airports of origin shortly after take-off on Sunday with one suffering a bird hit in Patna and the other from Delhi facing a technical glitch that led to a “cabin pressurisation issue”. In a third incident, an IndiGo aircraft turned back to Guwahati a few minutes after takeoff due to a bird hit.

All the three incidents will be probed by the aviation safety regulator DGCA.

On Sunday afternoon, a Delhi-bound Boeing 737-800 operated by the Gurugram-based low-cost airline made an emergency landing in Patna, minutes after take-off from there, after one of its engines suffered a bird hit. The aircraft was carrying 185 passengers and six crew members.