Goa: Stray dog enters Dabolim Airport runway; Vistara flight diverted | Check Details

PTC Web Desk:  A Vistara flight bound for Dabolim Airport in Goa had to return to Bengaluru without landing due to the sighting of a stray dog on the runway, as confirmed by a senior official on Tuesday.

The incident occurred on Monday afternoon when the Air Traffic Controller spotted the stray dog on the runway at Dabolim Airport in Goa. The pilot was instructed to delay the landing while the situation was assessed. However, the pilot decided to return to Bengaluru instead of waiting.

Flight UK 881 departed from Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru at 12:55 pm on Monday but turned back and arrived at 3:05 pm. Subsequently, it departed again from Bengaluru at 4:55 pm and finally landed in Goa at 6:15 pm.

Vistara, in an announcement, mentioned the diversion of the flight from Bengaluru to Goa due to runway restrictions at Goa Airport, with an expected arrival time back in Bengaluru at 3:05 pm.

SVT Dhanamjaya Rao, director of Goa Airport, said although stray animals occasionally strayed onto the runway, the ground staff promptly cleared the area. He highlighted that in his one-and-a-half-year tenure, this was the first incident of its kind.

Therefore, the Vistara flight's return to Bengaluru without landing at Dabolim Airport in Goa was due to the presence of a stray dog on the runway, a rare occurrence according to airport officials.