US-bound Air India flight forced to turn back to New Delhi after BAT flies through the cabin sparking panic amongst passengers
- Air India flight bound for the US was forced to turn back to New Delhi
- Video shows passengers panicking as bat flew through Boeing 737 plane
- Wildlife officials were contacted to retrieve bat which was later found dead
An Air India flight bound for the US was forced to turn back to New Delhi for an emergency landing after a live bat flew through the cabin.
Video shows passengers on the Boeing 737 panicking and forcing the early landing as the Indian flying fox soared through the airliner.
The Air India flight is said to have taken off from New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport before crew members reported the presence of the bat to the captain after nearly 30 minutes in the air.
An Air India flight bound for the US was forced to turn back to New Delhi for an emergency landing after a live bat flew through the cabin
Video shows passengers on the Boeing 737 plane panicking and forcing the early landing as the Indian flying fox soared through the airliner
The Air India flight had reportedly taken off from New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) before crew members reported the presence of the bat to the captain
However, the captain contacted Air Traffic Control when it was decided to return back to New Delhi, the Indian capital.
The aircraft landed at around 3.55am safely and was declared Aircraft on Grounded (AoG). Later the £212,000 fuel was jettisoned.
Wildlife officials were contacted to retrieve the bat which was later found dead in the business class near seat number eight.
However, the captain contacted Air Traffic Control about the unusual incident when it was decided to return back to New Delhi, the Indian capital
Wildlife officials were contacted to retrieve the bat from the cabin which was later found dead in the business class near seat number eight
After the passengers disembarked, the fumigation took place.
The passengers then boarded a different flight before Air India flight AI-105 reached Newark later that same day. The airline had also reported the incident to the flight safety department, MailOnline understands.
The airline has sought a detailed report from the engineering team.
‘Such mammals have the possibility of coming from third party vehicles such as for catering purpose,’ an Air India official said.
Following the preliminary investigation report from the safety department, it stated that the loading vehicles were seen having rats.