Delhi-bound Air India flight suffers bird hit, returns to Chennai

A Delhi-bound Air India flight from Chennai carrying 131 passengers returned to the city airport on Wednesday after suffering a bird-hit 20 minutes into its journey, the national carrier said.

The flight AI 440 was airborne for nearly 20 minutes before it suffered the bird-hit, "forcing" it to return to the city airport, an Air India spokesperson said, adding, all AI passengers are safe.

"All passengers are safe and the aircraft is being inspected by Air India engineers to assess the damage caused due to the bird strike," he said.

The stranded passengers have been accommodated in the airline's subsequent flights as well as in those operated by private carriers, he added.