Air India Colombo-Chennai flight suffers bird hit; airline cancels return journey

Air India bird strike: Tata Group-owned full-service airline operator, Air India's flight number AI274 from Colombo to Chennai suffered a bird strike on Tuesday, 7 October 2025.

According to a report by the news agency PTI, this incident prompted the airline operator to cancel its return flight. The aircraft travelling from Sri Lanka's Colombo to India's Chennai was carrying 158 passengers on board when it suffered a bird hit.

What happened to the aircraft?

The flight reportedly made a safe landing at the Chennai International Airport (MAA) on Tuesday, and all the passengers were safely disembarked from the plane.

In an official statement, the company also disclosed that the bird strike was detected after the aircraft made a touchdown at Chennai Airport. Prior to this, the flight crew who operated the previous route (Chennai to Colombo) in the same aircraft had suspected that such an incident had occurred, but the engineers found no damage.

“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 aircraft operated flight AI274 from Colombo to Chennai as per schedule,” said the Air India spokesperson.

After the passengers were de-boarded from the aircraft, the plane was grounded and extensive checks were carried out by the Air India engineers. The Air India officials also reportedly cancelled their return journey to Colombo's Bandaranaike International Airport due to the incident.

For the passengers who were set to board the same aircraft for their return to Colombo, Air India arranged an alternative aircraft for 137 passengers, who later departed for Sri Lanka.

What did Air India do?

Air India assured its passengers that, after routine post-flight checks at Chennai, engineers found an impact on an engine blade. Consequently, the aircraft was grounded for further assessment of the damage.

The airline operator assured that the safety of passengers and crew remains the top priority for the company.

“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,” said the company spokesperson.