In a shocking incident, a bat was found on-board on an Air India flight from Delhi to Newark on Saturday. The Air India flight left Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) for Newark at 2:20 AM as scheduled. Soon, after the flight was mid-air, a bat was spotted in the flight. Consequently, the pilot reported the incident to Air Traffic Control (ATC) and decided to return to Delhi.
Speaking to ANI, DGCA officials said that AI-105 Del-EWR returned to Delhi after departure after it was learnt that the crew members had seen a bat inside the cabin. The Airport staff called wildlife staff to catch the bat and take it away. The aircraft landed safely at around 3:55 am and was later grounded.
Meanwhile, the passengers were made to on-board another Air India Flight, which landed in Newark at 11:35 am. Initial findings reveal that the bat was found dead in the business class of the flight.
Although a detailed report is still awaited, the initial report suggests that unwanted mammals came from third parties such as loading vehicles. An Air India official hinted that the probable cause behind the incident might be loading vehicles, like the ones which are used for catering because all the time rats or bats come from their vehicle only.
