A British Airways flight from London suffered a bird hit in the early hours of Monday when the aircraft was just about to land at Chennai airport. As a result, the subsequent flight from Chennai to London was cancelled since the same aircraft was scheduled to be deployed.

Around 3.30 a.m., as the flight was in its final approach, the bird hit occurred and it damaged the nose cone of the aircraft.

Officials of Airports Authority of India (AAI) said 226 passengers were deboarded from the flight and a team of engineers inspected the aircraft. “One of the spares had to be changed but it wasn’t immediately available. Hence the flight from Chennai to London, which had to depart at 5.30 a.m. was cancelled. While some passengers stayed in a hotel, some left via other cities and some will depart in the morning flight on Tuesday,” an official said.

Published - July 14, 2026 12:51 am IST