Doha-bound Indigo flight returns to Chennai airport with 143 passengers after bird hits aircraft

Chennai:  A Doha-bound Indigo flight suffered a bird hit on Thursday morning just after take-off and had to return to Chennai airport, 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 am. The plane returned at 2.20 am. [caption id=“attachment_3295058” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] “Indigo Flight 6E-1707 from Chennai to Doha had a bird hit (on 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.