An Air India flight from New Delhi and bound for New York City was forced to be grounded and rerouted back to India after an intruder bat started flying around the cabin, surprising both passengers and the crew.
The incident reportedly happened aboard Air India’s AI-105 DEL-EWR flight, a B777-300ER Air India aircraft, on May 27, reported New York Post.
WATCH: @airindiain flight AI-105 from Delhi to Newark returned midway on Thursday after the pilot reported the presence of a bat onboard to ATC.
— Asianet Newsable (@AsianetNewsEN) May 29, 2021
Fumigation was carried out and a dead bat carcass was retrieved from seat 8DEF area. pic.twitter.com/haq9B4tzDB
According to The Times of India, the bat wasn’t noticed until it started flying around the cabin half an hour into the journey. The flight captain decided to take the plane back to the original base after reporting the bat’s presence to Air Traffic Control.
The aircraft reportedly circled for about two hours before it landed back in Delhi. Depending on the route, flight journeys from New Delhi to New York usually last for about 15 to 21 hours.
“On arrival, it was learned that a bat was seen inside the cabin by crew members, Wildlife staff were called to catch and remove the bat from the cabin,” Air India officials told ANI.
The bat was reportedly found dead in the business class area of the plane, a senior Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official said. The bat’s carcass was retrieved from the cabin after the aircraft was completely fumigated.
A detailed investigation into the incident will reportedly be carried out by Air India’s flight safety department. However, Air India’s engineering team's initial reports state that the bat came from "third parties," The Indian Express reported.
"The probable reason/cause may be loading vehicles like those for catering. All the time rats/bats come from their vehicle," an Air India official said. Apparently, animals get attracted to the food as it's being loaded onto the plane and follow onboard.
The passengers were shifted to another Air India plane, which landed in Newark at 11:35 am local time the next day.
A similar incident took place in 2015, in a London-bound Air India flight when a passenger spotted a rat in the aircraft, causing it to return midway.
The incident comes as India continues to be devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. The country now stands at a total of 27.65 million COVID-19 infections and 318,895 deaths, Health Ministry data revealed on Friday. COVID-19 is believed to have initially originated in bats before it was passed on to others animals and finally onto humans.
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