- SUMMARY
- Two bird strike incidents for Indian airlines in a single day.
- SpiceJet Boeing 737 departing Delhi for Leh suffered a bird strike.
- Airline has denied accommodation to passengers.
In a single day, two bird strike incidents have occurred in India. After the bird strike involving Air India aircraft at Trivandrum, now a Leh-bound flight of SpiceJet Boeing 737 was struck by a bird while departing Delhi Airport.
SpiceJet Flight Returns to Delhi After Birdstrike
SpiceJet Boeing 737-700 registered as VT-SLA was all set to operate flight SG 123 from Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) to Leh Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport (IXL). The aircraft which was scheduled to depart at 10:15 AM finally took off at 10:29 AM. Usually, this flight takes 50-55 minutes to reach Leh.
Soon after takeoff, a bird flew into the engine number 2 of the Boeing 737. The aircraft continued its climb to 22,000 ft and then initiated a U-turn to return to the airport. After 30 minutes of departure, it landed back at Delhi Airport.
All the passengers on board are safe. Following the bird hit, severe vibrations were observed in the aircraft cabin. A spokesperson from SpiceJet confirmed the incident and assured the safety of all the passengers.
No Accommodation to Passengers
According to a passenger named Anuj Mehta, the airline has denied accommodation to the stranded passengers. SpiceJet operates three daily flights between Delhi and Leh, and this flight SG123 is the last one of the day to depart Delhi. As a result, the airline is unable to arrange any alternate flights.
It has informed the passengers that it can arrange a flight tomorrow. In case, all the tomorrow flights are full, they will get rescheduling options for 2 days later flights.
As a result of this return to Delhi Airport, the next leg of this flight from Leh to Delhi has been canceled. The aircraft has been declared AOG as it has sustained significant damage.
Airlines majorly operate flights to Leh Airport in the morning. Because of its location at a high altitude, landing can be extremely difficult and dangerous because of mountain winds, specifically in the afternoon.
Aircraft Involved
The aircraft involved in this incident is a Boeing 737-700 registered as VT-SLA. This aircraft is powered by 2 CFM56 engines. With an age of almost 17 years, this B737 can accommodate 149 passengers in an all-economy configuration.
Prior to operating for SpiceJet, this aircraft served for SkyEurope Airlines, AnadoluJet, and SunExpress. It was delivered to SpiceJet in November 2015. Lessor Aviator Capital has leased this jet to the airline.
To date, this aircraft has not been involved in any major incident. This is the first major incident involving this airliner. It is one of the two operational Boeing 737-700 in the airline’s fleet.
This news comes just hours after an Air India Airbus A320 registered as VT-EXD suffered a bird strike at Trivandrum Airport. It was flying AI-802 from Trivandrum to Delhi. During departure, a crane flew into the aircraft engine, damaging it. In a single day, two aircraft have been damaged and declared AOG because of birdstrikes.
Conclusion
SpiceJet flight SG123 from Delhi to Leh was forced to return to Delhi Airport after the aircraft’s right engine was damaged by a birdstrike. This is the first major incident involving this Boeing 737-700 aircraft. Aircraft has been declared AOG at Delhi Airport, because of which the return flight from Leh to Delhi has been canceled.
Have you ever been involved in such birdstrike incidents? Discuss in the comment section.
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