Watch Video: Flights delayed and diverted at Pune Airport due to ‘Unusual Bird Activity’

Flight operations at Pune Airport were disrupted on Friday due to a temporary runway closure by Air Traffic Control (ATC) in response to unusual bird activity. This caused delays and diversions, affecting passengers’ travel plans.

Today, I was @airindia #AI841 from BOM to PNQ and my flight was diverted back to BOM after lurking over Pune for almost an hour. According to our pilot, there was a heavy bird activity at the Pune Airport due to which landing was very difficult. Here’s the playback of my flight: pic.twitter.com/t5M30nmXVF

— ROHIT MOTWANI (@rohittm) June 7, 2024

Watch Video here:

Passengers on Indigo flight 6E2661 from Pune to Delhi reported a delay, with the flight scheduled to depart at 11:15 am leaving only at 12:30 pm. Chandigarh-based architect, expressed frustration, noting that this was her third visit to Pune with similar issues.

An airport official explained that the ATC halted flight operations upon detecting unusual bird activity over the runway. “The runway was closed due to unusual bird activity. Operations will resume once clearance is received from the ATC,” the officer stated.

Air India’s Mumbai to Pune flight (AI841), scheduled to land at 10:50 am, was diverted back to Mumbai. Passenger Rohit Motwani shared on social media that the flight hovered over Pune Airport for nearly an hour before returning to Mumbai. “My flight was diverted back to BOM after hovering over Pune for almost an hour due to heavy bird activity,” he posted.

Bird activity poses a significant hazard to flight operations, especially with large flocks of migratory birds, as aircraft can suffer damage if struck by birds. The Pune Airport will resume normal operations once the ATC confirms it is safe to do so.