Passengers aboard the Delhi-Bhubaneswar Air Vistara flight (UK-709) had a narrow escape following a bird hit while the aircraft was on its way to the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here on Thuesday morning.
Even though the nose of the aircraft was badly hit due to the accident, the passengers and the crew were safe.
The incident occurred while the plane was in the air some 70 km from the Bhubaneswar airport. The pilot, however, managed to land the plane safely at the airport at about 8:22 am.
Cracks in the nose of the plane were discovered during the post-flight inspection, said BPIA Director R Mahalingam.
The return journey of the plane was cancelled as it would only be airborne again following an airworthiness check and clearance by a team of technical experts.
According to a Vistara official, spare parts have already been ordered and the plane was likely to fly back to New Delhi in night.