Air India Delhi–Pune flight suffers bird hit; airline cancels return journey, offers refunds

Air India had to cancel its scheduled Pune-Delhi flight on Friday, 20 June, after the aircraft suffered a bird hit during its inbound journey from Delhi.

Refunds on cancellation or complimentary rescheduling are being offered to passengers who opt for it, the Tata Group airline said, adding that alternate arrangements are being made to fly the passengers to Delhi.

Air India said the aircraft, AI2470, has been grounded, and the engineering team is carrying out extensive checks.

Air India Delhi-Pune flight cancelled

The bird strike was discovered after the plane landed safely in Pune and was being prepared for its return flight.

“Flight AI2470 scheduled to operate from Pune to Delhi on 20 June has been cancelled due to a bird-hit which was detected after the incoming flight landed safely in Pune,” the team Air India said in a statement.

The airline also stated that it is making all arrangements, including providing accommodation for the stranded passengers.

Air India international, domestic flights cancelled

Earlier in the day, four international and four domestic Air India flights were cancelled. Affected flights included services between Dubai, Chennai, Delhi, Melbourne, Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Mumbai.

Air India’s international flights

1. AI906 from Dubai to Chennai

2. AI308 from Delhi to Melbourne

3. AI309 from Melbourne to Delhi

4. AI2204 from Dubai to Hyderabad

Domestic flights

1. AI874 from Pune to Delhi

2. AI456 from Ahmedabad to Delhi

3. AI-2872 from Hyderabad to Mumbai

4. AI571 from Chennai to Mumbai

Air India plane crash

The series of cancellations of flights comes around a week after the deadly Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, which sent shockwaves throughout the nation.

All but one of the 242 passengers and crew on board the Boeing 787-8(AI171) and another 29 persons, including five MBBS students, on the ground were killed in the plane crash that occurred on 12 June 2025.

The bodies were charred, requiring forensic teams to carry out DNA testing to identify the victims.

As of June 20, DNA matches identified 215 victims in the Air India AI-171 plane crash, while mortal remains of a total of 198 deceased were handed over to their respective families, reported ANI.