Tuesday, May 21, 2024 A flock of at least three dozen flamingos flying above the Pant Nagar area in Ghatkopar collided with an incoming Emirates flight just minutes before it landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai. The incident occurred late on Monday night. The flight, EK-508, carrying around 310 passengers, safely landed at CSMIA around 9:15 PM.
The airline’s team had promptly informed the airport authorities about the bird strike. A thorough check by airport teams did not find any flamingo carcasses on or near the runway and airport premises. However, later, a team of forest officials recovered the carcasses of approximately 37 flamingos in the Laxmi Nagar area of Pant Nagar, outside the airport boundaries, and continued their search for more.
Though the aircraft was grounded, officials declined to disclose the specific details of the damage suffered by the Emirates plane, but indicated that a statement would likely be issued later. The incident underscores the importance of wildlife management around airports to ensure passenger safety and operational efficiency. Wildlife experts, including Vanshakti NGO’s D Stalin, suggested that the new power lines passing through the Thane Creek flamingo sanctuary might have caused disorientation among the birds.
This theory is being investigated by the Forest Department and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), who collected the remains of the dead birds for autopsy. The Thane Creek .
