I think this qualifies as one of the stranger reasons for a flight diversion…
Continue reading: Bat Causes Newark-Bound Air India Flight To Divert
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Wall Street Journals: "When did the U.S.-India travel ban start?
"The travel ban went into effect May 4 and is indefinite until lifted by President Biden.
"Is everyone banned from traveling to the U.S. from India?
"The travel ban doesn’t apply to U.S. citizens or permanent residents and their spouses. Other individuals who might qualify for exemptions include humanitarian workers, certain journalists and academics, and students commencing studies in the fall, according to a determination by the State Department. The exceptions mirror those for other countries affected by pandemic-related travel restrictions. Most other travelers who have been in India during a 14-day period before their attempted entry into the U.S. are prohibited."
And thus Air India kept flying. Even with a bat.
I experienced a similar incident in 2013 on a Delta flight destined for AMS. The bat became active sometime after the cabin crew dimmed the lights. The flight continued since there were no suitable diversions. We landed in AMS and were met my some agriculture and wildlife control officials who managed to trap the bat to an area while passengers vacated.
A lot of my work requires jumping onto military air transport. Bats are a common nuisance on those flights.
Had to dump fuel due to being heavy to land, based on the flight map presumably on highly populated residential areas!
@creditian
How so if the the virus was man-made (gain-of-function research) inside a lab in Wuhan, China (built by France, financed and organized by the US under Anthony Fraudci)?
The Joker was trying to enter USA.
But the flight path suggested that the pilots had the last laugh.
Bats typically carry diseases and parasites, though most are only transmitted between other bats/animals. So it makes sense that they would choose to return and have it removed. Even a dead one can be a hazard. Glad they got it off alive though!
If you need to dump fuel, why not use it instead to get part way to where you want to go?
what the hell is Air India flights coming into the US ? I thought there was a ban of these flights ....
Most likely rather than dumping the fuel they burned it down to landing weight. Depending on the altitude they operated the aircraft the fuel would disperse in the atmosphere, as a fine vapor, mist or other airborne pollution. Most airlines prefer to burn it off rather than dump because if low enough it is a fire hazard. In an emergency they can dump copious amounts of fuel in a few moments, so 2 + hours would indicate more burn than dump.
They didn’t dump fuel here based on the two hour that the aircraft flew. Most probably, they used the fuel until below the safe landing weight. Regardless, the fuel would have just evaporated if it were dumped at that altitude.
As others have said Lucky, the bat probably started flying after the crew dimmed the lights since they are nocturnal.
Bats contain multiple diseases, such as rabies, deadly to humans. In the process of capturing/killing, if a person is bit, it could be quite harmful to their health. It is a good idea to avoid contact with bats.
Ha bats during the time of COVID-19 is a scary experience.
Once the plane landed back in such a short time Air India could not have caught the flying bat so they swapped the aircraft as there are many spare ones in DEL due to the international travel restrictions.
Also point to note the flight would have had very high pax load again due to many visa holders being banned entry into the US from India. Hence they did a quick transfer to another aircraft. About the crew they must have continued with the same crew.
If there was a passenger named Stan Marsh on the plane and there was a Pangolin too, I'd be worried.