Dog Sighting Forces Air India Express Flight to Abort Landing at Pune Airport
Viman Nagar, 30th June 2025: An Air India Express flight carrying 150 passengers from Bhubaneswar to Pune was forced to abort its landing on Saturday evening after dogs were spotted on the runway at Lohegaon Airport. The aircraft executed a go-around maneuver and landed safely a few minutes later.
The flight, IX-1097, had departed Bhubaneswar at 5 PM and was scheduled to arrive in Pune around 7 PM. However, as it was preparing to land, the pilot was directed by Air Traffic Control (ATC) to abort the attempt due to an unexpected animal intrusion on the runway.
One of the passengers on board, Hitendra Kurane, a resident of Vimannagar, recounted the mid-air confusion. “Just moments before landing, the aircraft suddenly climbed back up. A few minutes later, the pilot informed us that the ATC had alerted them about dogs on the runway and advised a go-around,” Kurane said.
The flight eventually touched down safely at 7:20 PM, but Kurane expressed serious concerns about ongoing safety hazards at the airport. “This is not an isolated case. There’s constant garbage dumping around the airport, which attracts stray dogs and birds. It’s a serious safety issue. Authorities must act before something tragic happens,” he said.
The runway at Pune’s Lohgaon Airport is operated and controlled by the Indian Air Force (IAF), while the civil enclave is managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Despite the potentially dangerous situation, no official statement has been released so far by the IAF, AAI, or Air India Express.
Aviation safety experts have previously flagged wildlife presence on airport runways as a recurring issue in India, often citing poor waste management and lack of fencing as contributing factors.
