In the second such incident in a week, another airplane suffered a bird strike at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport in the city on Wednesday. An AirAsia flight from Kuala Lumpur, carrying around 150 passengers, was landing when a bird struck the aircraft, causing damage to the frontal nose portion of the plane.
The flight had to be grounded as the aircraft was deemed unfit for further travel due to the damage. This flight was scheduled to return to Kuala Lumpur. Approximately 160 passengers were waiting in the terminal after security check but were left frustrated as the plane was not ready to depart due to the bird strike. The airline arranged for all passengers to be accommodated in a hotel.
It is learned that the engineering work on the damaged aircraft is still not done, and the flight remains grounded at the airport. The airline ordered another plane, and 160 passengers were flown from Ahmedabad to Kuala Lumpur on Thursday morning.