Bhubaneswar: A New Delhi-bound Indigo flight made an emergency landing at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here following a bird-hit on Sunday evening.
All passengers were safe as there was no damage to the flight.
Sources said the incident took place at 6.29 pm when an owl struck the flight (6E-314) during takeoff on the runway. Though the pilot managed to take off, he later decided to return to the airport apprehending damage.
The flight, which landed at the airport at 6.58 pm, left for New Delhi at 8.23 pm after a thorough check-up by the engineers.
Over 69 bird-hit cases have been reported at the city airport in the past five years.