An IndiGo flight to Raipur had to abort its take-off at Lucknow airport after a group of monkeys was spotted crossing the runway, causing delays and highlighting wildlife management challenges at airports.
An IndiGo flight bound for Raipur aborted its take-off at Lucknow airport after a group of monkeys was spotted crossing the runway, airport officials said on Friday.
According to airport sources, flight 6E 6521 with around 150 passengers on board had begun its take-off roll and was about 20-30 per cent down the runway at around 9 am on Thursday when the pilots noticed monkeys moving across.
The pilots immediately aborted the take-off and informed air traffic control, following which the aircraft returned and later departed after refuelling, about an hour later.
A significant amount of fuel was consumed during the aborted take-off, necessitating refuelling and causing delays to the flight as well as affecting the departure schedule of some other flights.
Airport sources further said that about 10 minutes before the incident, an Air India Express flight that had landed at the airport had alerted authorities about the presence of monkeys near the runway.
Soon after the information was received, the IndiGo flight was scheduled for departure but had to abort take-off due to the animals on the runway, they said.
Following the incident, the airport's wildlife management team acted as per standard operating procedures and cleared the runway, after which flight operations resumed normally.
Airport officials said the monkeys may had strayed into the airport premises from nearby orchards in Rahimabad village adjoining the Amausi area, where the airport is located.
"However, such incidents are rare when flights are impacted due to monkeys. Bird related issues are more common but beyond control," an official told PTI.
Aviation experts said such incidents may lead to excess fuel burn and delays, but in this case there was no safety risk as the pilots detected the movement in time and aborted the take-off, preventing any potential hazard.