In the third such incident within just 15 days, an IndiGo flight bound for Delhi was forced to make an emergency landing at Patna airport on Wednesday morning after a bird strike led to engine vibrations mid-air. The flight, carrying 175 passengers, landed safely with no reported injuries.
The aircraft, operating as flight IGO5009 (Patna to Delhi), took off at 8:42 am when the bird strike occurred. During the runway inspection, remnants of the dead bird were found, confirming the hit. The approach control unit promptly informed the pilot, who soon reported unusual vibrations in one of the engines and sought permission to return to Patna. The Airbus A320 landed safely at 9:03 am, with local emergency services on standby. All passengers were unharmed.
According to tracking platform FlightRadar24, the aircraft involved was an Airbus A320 (VT-IFL), which was originally scheduled to land in Delhi at 10:15 am.
This marks the third emergency landing involving IndiGo flights in just over two weeks, raising questions about aircraft maintenance and safety protocols.
On Tuesday, another IndiGo flight—this time from Indore to Raipur—was forced to return to Indore shortly after take-off due to a technical fault. The flight, carrying 51 passengers, experienced a sudden jolt mid-air, triggering panic. False alarms in the cockpit prompted the pilot to contact Indore ATC and request an emergency landing. The flight landed safely, and passengers were offered refunds or rescheduling options. Maintenance teams are still investigating the cause.
Similarly, on June 23, an IndiGo Airbus A320 Neo (flight 6E 6332) from Indore to Bhubaneswar was grounded after a technical issue was detected just before take-off. Over 80 passengers remained inside the aircraft for more than two hours while the issue was addressed.
Though no injuries have been reported in any of these incidents, the spate of emergency landings within a short span has sparked growing concerns among passengers and aviation experts alike. Many are calling for a thorough review of safety systems, maintenance checks, and in-flight monitoring protocols to ensure passenger safety is not compromised.
IndiGo, India’s largest airline, has not issued a comprehensive statement addressing the back-to-back safety scares but has assured that all necessary investigations are underway.
