Summary
- A stray dog on the runway at Goa’s Dabolim Airport disrupted a Vistara flight from Bengaluru, causing the pilots to turn back.
- This incident is not unique, as there have been previous cases globally of wild animals obstructing runways, including dogs, bears, and wild boars.
A Vistara flight from Bengaluru carrying passengers to the popular Indian beach destination of Goa was disrupted because a stray dog found access to the active runway. While airport officials asked the flight to wait until the runway could be cleared of obstruction, the pilots decided it was best to turn back to the point of origin.
Dog on the runway
A stray dog somehow gained access to Goa’s Dabolim Airport (GOI) runway on November 13, prompting authorities to halt takeoffs and landings for some time. One such flight affected by this was Vistara’s service between Bengaluru and Goa.
Photo: Airbus
Flight UK 881, a daily service that departs Bengaluru at 12:45 and arrives in Goa at 14:05, was asked by air traffic control to “hold for sometime.” Initial reports suggested that there was some obstruction on the runway, which was later revealed to be a stray dog.
Pilot chooses to divert
While the flight was asked to wait until authorities were satisfied that the runway was safe to operate again, the pilots decided it was best to return to Bengaluru. Goa airport’s director, S.V.T. Dhanamjaya Rao, said that there have been instances of stray dogs entering the runway, but usually, the area is cleared almost immediately, and flight operations resume without much delay. He said this was the first time he noticed a pilot turning back due to this.
Many passengers of the flight were also surprised that the flight did not divert to Goa’s new Manohar International Airport and instead went back to Bengaluru. Reportedly, two IndiGo flights landed in Goa around the same time the Vistara flight decided to turn back.
Of course, the decision regarding flight safety lies with the captain, and there’s likely to be a good reason for the plane to return to Bengaluru instead of waiting to land in Goa. The aircraft eventually left Bengaluru again in the evening and arrived in Goa at 18:15.
Similar incidents
This isn’t the first time a wild animal obstructed an active runway, causing operational delays, and certainly not in Goa. In 2019, an AirAsia India Airbus A320 was cleared for takeoff from Goa for its flight to New Delhi when its crew was instructed to abort after a few seconds because a dog was spotted on the runway.
Thankfully, the plane was at a relatively slow speed when it rejected the takeoff, but there was still a delay of about 50 minutes because the aircraft was inspected due to standard protocol.
Photo: Airbus
It isn’t just dogs that get into mischief at airports. In 2020, an S7 A320neo had to go around in Russia’s Magadan Airport after a bear wandered onto the runway. In the same year, an Etihad A320 collided with a wild boar upon landing at Islamabad Airport in Pakistan. Thankfully, all passengers were safe in the incident.
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