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Bangalore, Apr 8:  A Jetlite S2-231 Bangalore to Coimbatore flight was delayed by over five hours after a bird hit the aircraft’s engine while it was ready to take off at around 11:15 am.

"All the 160 passengers and crew members on board are safe. No one sustained any injuries. The hit did not cause any damage to the aircraft either,’’ an Air Traffic Control (ATC) official said.

The pilot of the flight applied the brakes and stopped the aircraft on the runway after seeing a bird just before the take-off and informed the control room about it, control tower official said.

The flight was scheduled to depart at 11 am but after the incident, it was rescheduled to 4:10 pm, he said.

The pilot abandoned the aircraft, which was later cleared from the runway and towed into a parking bay, sources said. Sources from Jetlite confirmed that no passengers or crew members were injured. All the passengers departed by the same flight at 4:10 pm and were not accommodated in other flights. ‘’It was a minor incident,’’ airport sources said.

Such incidents occur when a bird and plane collide. Deputy General Manager, Airport Operations, HAL, S R Iyer, said 14 people stand along the runway before take-off to scare away birds. Another set of people watch the birds and report about them to the control room. "Kempegowda Lake on the south of the runway provides birds with water, while solid waste in neighbouring areas like Ejipura, Viveknagar, Marathahalli and Russel Market provides food. This enhances the frequency of birds crossing the runway,’’ he added. Airfield Environmental Managing Committee, constituted by Bangalore Development Authority, works to minimise such problem but rapid urbanisation and improper solid waste management make the task difficult.