Full Emergency Declared At Delhi Airport After Dubai-Bound Plane Suffers Bird Hit

The FedEx aircraft had to make an emergency landing at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport after the plane suffered a bird hit soon after take off.

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Delhi Airport declared a full emergency after an aircraft operated by FedEx suffered a bird strike soon after take off. The Dubai-bound Flight FX5279 was grounded for a while after the incident. Reports suggest the aircraft was only allowed to take off from the Indira Gandhi International Airport once the technicians cleared it for flight after inspection. Based on the data provided by the flight tracking website the plane took off from IGI at 1:39 pm.

The cargo flight had to turn back mid-way because of the suspected bird strike, as per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.  DGCA said in a statement, "Delhi airport (DIAL) declared an emergency. Aircraft landed back safely. After inspection, it has been released for flight."

An emergency landing is declared when a plane is approaching an airport in such a way that an accident is possible. Sources claim that the action was conducted so that the plane could land at the airport in Delhi and specialists could examine it for technical problems before clearance.

The aircraft in the incident is a Boeing 777-200LR operated by FedEx. Usually, aircraft with twin-jet engines are used for carrying out long-haul flights and are capable of covering inter-continental journeys.

Birdstrike incidents are fairly common in the aviation industry. Furthermore, bird hits can significantly damage a plane or harm the critical equipments of an aircraft. To prevent such incidents union aviation minister urged Indian airports to follow guidelines to control the damage caused because of bird strikes.

In a recent incident, an Indigo aircarft flying from Surat to Delhi had to be diverted to Ahmedabad after suffering a bird hit. The Airbus aircraft conducting the flight sustained significant damage in the incident. As per DGCA's statement an engine's fan blades got damaged.