Tejas Navale

Pune: On Friday morning, an unexpected influx of birds disrupted operations at Pune Airport, leading to significant delays and diversions of several flights. A large number of birds were seen circling the airport, compelling the Air Traffic Control (ATC) to temporarily close the runway to ensure safety.

The incident had immediate repercussions on the aviation schedule. The Indigo flight from Pune to Delhi, which was scheduled to take off at 11:15 a.m., experienced a delay and ultimately departed at 12:30 p.m. Passengers, frustrated by the delay, took to social media to express their grievances.

Additionally, the incoming Indigo flight from Delhi to Pune was diverted to Mumbai as a precautionary measure. The flight, which should have landed in Pune, reached Mumbai at 11:30 a.m. After a brief stopover, it departed from Mumbai at 1:10 pm and arrived in Pune at 1:30 pm, causing inconvenience to passengers who had to endure the unscheduled detour.

Another affected flight was an Air India service from Mumbai to Pune. This flight encountered problems upon entering Pune's airspace. The control room, prioritising safety due to the bird activity, denied the aircraft permission to land. Scheduled to touch down at Pune airport at 10:50 am, the aircraft was forced to hover for about an hour before it was redirected back to Mumbai. Passenger Rohit Motwani shared his ordeal on social media, recounting how the pilot informed them of the bird hazard and the decision to return to Mumbai.

The bird activity at Pune Airport not only caused delays and diversions but also highlighted the challenges airports face in managing bird activities on the airport premises.