SpiceJet flights to and from Surat airport were suspended indefinitely after a bizarre collision between a plane and a buffalo on the runway.
A Delhi-bound Spicejet flight with 146 people on board hit a stray buffalo on the tarmac as it was approaching take-off but no one was injured in the incident.
However the 737-800 aircraft’s left engine was ‘severely damaged’ according to a SpiceJet spokesman and had to be taken out of service.
"A stray buffalo hit one of our aircraft, carrying 140 passengers and six crew, on take-off roll at Surat airport. The buffalo was essentially invisible against a dark background," the spokesman said.
An alternative plane was put in service to fly the passengers to their destination.
The spokesman said stray animals on runways are a ‘growing menace’ and the incident had ‘affected our regular operations and hence SpiceJet flights from Surat will now be suspended indefinitely’.
There have been similar incidents at Indian airports in the past.
In 2009 a Kingfisher Airlines plane struck a stray pig on the runway at Nagpur airport.
