Bird found mid-air in cockpit of Air India Express' Bahrain-Kochi flight on July 15

An alive bird was found in the cockpit of Air India Express' Bahrain-Kochi flight on July 15, officials of aviation regulator DGCA said on Sunday.

The bird was found in the glove compartment on the co-pilot's side when the plane was at 37,000 feet altitude, the officials noted.

The plane landed safely in Kochi, they said.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is investigating the incident, they mentioned.

Prima facie, it looks like there was a ground handling lapse at a foreign station, the officials said while talking about the incident.

In another incident, Air India Express's Calicut-Dubai flight was diverted on July 16 to Muscat after a burning smell was observed in the cabin mid-air.

Air India Express did not respond to PTI's requests for statements regarding the two aforementioned incidents.