Indigo flight suffers bird hit just after take-off from Chennai for Doha, lands back

Chennai, Nov 16 : A Doha-bound IndiGo flight suffered a bird hit on Thursday morning just after take-off and had to return to Chennai airport as a precautionary measure, officials said. All 134 passengers onboard were unhurt.

The flight landed back within 30 minutes after taking off from Anna International Airport in Chennai at 1.47 a.m. The plane returned at 2.20 a.m.

"IndiGo Flight 6E-1707 from Chennai to Doha had a bird hit (on November 16), as the aircraft was climbing after take-off," the airline said in a statement.

"Due to precautionary reasons, the pilot decided to return to Chennai for aircraft inspection," it said.

The airline also said the action was in line with the "recommended procedure by the manufacturer".

"During the process, crew informed all passengers and IndiGo arranged for an alternate aircraft to avoid inconvenience to passengers. At no point, safety of the passengers was compromised," it added.