IndiGo's massive operational disruptions have dominated headlines over the past few days, yet a completely different incident is attracting attention online. An IndiGo flight preparing to depart from Bengaluru found itself at the centre of an unusual scene when a pigeon made its way into the cabin just before take-off. Passengers were barely settling into the aircraft, scheduled to operate on the Bengaluru-Vadodara route, when the bird suddenly appeared overhead, prompting startled reactions and a scramble to guide it out.
A video recorded by a traveller shows the pigeon flying above the aisle lights as it tried to escape. Crew members, assisted by a few passengers, attempted to corner the bird, but it continued flying across the cabin, evading efforts to capture it.
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The moment was filmed by a person on board, who shared the footage on Instagram. The user captioned the post, “A surprise guest in the flight. A moment of joy and humour. Enjoyed.”
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As per reports, though the presence of the pigeon briefly delayed the pre-departure procedures, the situation was resolved without further inconvenience, and the flight continued as planned.
The video has now amassed more than 3.4 million views, while attracting a wave of light-hearted comments.
One user joked about the bird's unexpected entry by saying, “He's got his birding pass, of course.”
Another commented, “Someone's cast a spell on IndiGo,” implying that with all the disruptions the airline has been facing, even this bizarre incident seemed to fit the streak of misfortune.
Adding a Harry Potter reference, one user wrote, “Hogwarts mein aapka swagat hai (Welcome to Hogwarts),” joking that the unexpected appearance of a pigeon made the situation feel like something straight out of a magical world.
Others used the moment to poke fun at IndiGo's recent operational troubles. One comment read, “At least koi to udd raha hai (at least someone is flying),” a sarcastic dig at the flight delays and cancellations.
There was also a witty take on aviation safety tests, with a user stating, “Aeroplanes are testing for bird hits, not for bird ins.”
Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu said on Monday, Dec. 8, that the government will scale back IndiGo's winter flight schedule and redistribute those routes to other airlines in response to the carrier's recent large-scale operational disruptions.
“We will curtail IndiGo's routes. They are currently operating 2,200 flights. We will definitely curtail them,” Naidu told DD News.
He also confirmed that refunds amounting to Rs 745 crore have been issued for 7,30,655 cancelled PNRs between Dec. 1 and 8 (as of 5 p.m. on Dec. 8).
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