Monkeys on the runway force IndiGo flight to abort take-off in Lucknow

An IndiGo flight going to Raipur had to stop its take-off at Lucknow airport after monkeys were seen crossing the runway on Thursday morning, as per reports.

The flight, 6E6521, had reportedly about 150 passengers on board. It had already started moving fast on the runway and had covered around 20 to 30% of the distance when the pilots saw monkeys ahead. 

To avoid any danger, the pilots quickly stopped the take-off and informed air traffic control. After stopping, the aircraft returned and had to be refuelled because a lot of fuel was used during the aborted take-off. The flight finally departed about one hour later, noted the reports.

This delay also affected the timing of some other flights. As per reports citing sources, about 10 minutes before this incident, an Air India Express flight had already warned authorities about monkeys near the runway.

Soon after, the IndiGo flight was ready to take off but had to stop because of the animals. Reportedly after the incident, the airport’s wildlife team cleared the runway, and flight operations returned to normal.

Authorities said they will continue to follow safety procedures and improve monitoring systems to prevent such incidents in the future and ensure smooth flight operations.