AI Mumbai-Frankfurt-Chicago flight suffers bird-hit

Mumbai, Sep 5 (UNI) More than 419 passengers of a Chicago-bound Air India flight, AI-127 B 747-400 Mumbai-Frankfurt-Chicago, had a miraculous escape when their aircraft suffered a bird-hit, after an hour of its taking off from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Terminus today morning.

Incidentally, this is the second time in five days when an AI aircraft has been grounded. On Saturday also Air India's newly-launched Mumbai-New York flight was grounded as the aircraft had developed some technical snag.

According to AI officials, the Chicago-bound flight left Mumbai airport at its scheduled departure time of 0645 hrs. After an hour, the bird-hit flight had to undergo a priority landing for dumping fuel and transfer the passengers to another aircraft.

The flight comprised three first class, 22 business class and 378 economy class passengers, the officials informed.

It took nearly two hours to arrange an alternative aircraft and transfer the stranded passengers, the officials added.

UNI