Bengaluru-bound IndiGo flight makes emergency landing in Varanasi after bird hit; all passengers safe

Varanasi: A Bengaluru-bound IndiGo Airlines flight with 216 passengers on board made an emergency landing at the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport here following a bird strike, airport officials said Monday. The incident occurred on Sunday night and Airport Director Puneet Gupta informed that all 216 passengers on board were safely evacuated after the plane landed.

The aircraft, operating as flight 6E 437 en route from Gorakhpur to Bengaluru, suffered damage to its front portion following the bird hit during the flight, officials said.

Given the seriousness of the situation, the pilot immediately contacted the Varanasi Air Traffic Control and safely landed the aircraft at the Varanasi airport, officials added.

Gupta noted that said some passengers were flown to their destination on Monday, while arrangements were made to send the remaining passengers on other flights.