An Air India flight headed to Chennai from Sri Lanka’s Colombo suffered a bird hit on Tuesday, airport authorities said. The flight's return journey was cancelled.
The aircraft, flight number AI272, carrying 158 passengers, landed safely, and all passengers got off without any injuries.
The bird hit was detected after the plane landed at the airport, according to authorities. The aircraft has been grounded, and extensive checks were carried out by the authorities.
An Air India Spokesperson says, “On 7 October, the flight crew of AI273 operating from Chennai to Colombo, reported a suspected bird strike. After landing at Colombo, the engineers who inspected the aircraft found no damage, and the aircraft was cleared for operation. The same…
— ANI (@ANI) October 7, 2025
Another aircraft was arranged for 137 passengers who left for Colombo later.
In a statement, the company said that the flight crew who operated the flight's previous route from Chennai to Colombo in the same aircraft had suspected that an accident had occurred. However, the engineers had found no damage.
“Upon routine post-flight checks at Chennai, the engineers observed an impact on an engine blade. Consequently, the aircraft has been grounded for further inspections and to ascertain the cause of the damage. At Air India, the safety of passengers and crew remains top priority,” the company spokesperson said.
