Lucknow, 01 May

(HS): An IndiGo flight headed for Raipur was forced to abandon its takeoff at

Lucknow airport when a bunch of monkeys was sighted crossing the runway,

airport officials said Friday. According to airport officials, aircraft 6E

6521, which had around 150 people on board, had began its take-off roll and was

about 20-30% down the runway on Thursday when the pilots observed monkeys

coming across. The pilots promptly aborted the takeoff and notified air traffic

control, after which the aircraft returned and departed after refueling

approximately an hour later. A large quantity of fuel was used during the

failed takeoff, necessitating refueling and creating flight delays, as well as

influencing the departure schedule of several subsequent aircraft.

According to

airport sources, just 10 minutes before the incident, an Air India Express

flight landed at the airport and informed authorities to the presence of

monkeys near the runway.

The IndiGo flight was supposed to fly shortly after receiving the information,

but it was forced to abort takeoff owing to the animals on the runway,

according to officials. Following the event, the airport's wildlife management

crew followed routine operating protocols to clear the runway, and flight

operations resumed normally. According to aviation experts, such accidents

might result in extra fuel waste and delays, but in this case, there was no

safety danger because the pilots recognized the movement in time and stopped

the takeoff, averting any possible threat.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi