Passengers of a Dubai bound Air India flight had a miraculous escape this morning after the blades of an engine was damaged in a bird hit, reports said.
The flight with 148 passengers and six crew on board had to be flown back to Kozhikode almost forty minutes after it had taken off at 10am.
Ten minutes after the Airbus A-321 took off from the Karippur Airport in Kozhikode in the South Indian state of Kerala, a bird hit the right engine. According to reports quoting sources at the airport, the engine's blades were bent.
A full emergency was declared at the airport, and the flight that was carrying a full fuel load had to dump fuel into the sea before making the emergency landing.
All passengers have been evacuated safely and hotel accommodation has been provided. The passengers will be flown back after the engine is rectified or after an alternate aircraft has been arranged.
© Emirates 24|7 2012
