Pune: Heavy bird activity over the runway affects flight operations, disrupts flight schedules

Flight arrivals and departures at Pune airport were briefly affected on Friday due to the temporary closure of the runway by the Air Traffic Control (ATC) over ‘unusual bird activity’. This led to the delay of at least two flights, with one being turned back to its origin.

Passengers of Indigo flight 6E2661 from Pune to Delhi reported that their flight, scheduled to depart at 11:15 am, did not leave until 12:30 pm.

According to media reports, airport officials explained that the disturbance occurred after the ATC halted flight operations on the runway due to detected bird activity. “An unusual bird activity was recorded over the runway which has led to the suspension of operations for a brief time. The operation will commence soon after we get a clearance from the Air Traffic Control,” said an officer.

Air India’s Mumbai to Pune flight (AI841), which departs at 10 am and is scheduled to land at 10:50 am, was sent back as it did not receive a signal to land. Rohit Motwani, one of the passengers, posted on social media that the flight hovered over Pune airport for about an hour. “Today, I was (travelling in) @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 heavy bird activity at the Pune Airport due to which landing was very difficult,” he said.

Bird activity is a common hazard for flight operations, particularly when large flocks of migratory birds are involved, as aircraft can be damaged if they collide with a bird flock.