A Goa bound Vistara flight returned to Bengaluru without landing at the Dabolim airport in Goa on Monday, November 13 after a stray dog was spotted on the runway, a senior airport official told PTI on Tuesday, November 14. The incident occurred in the afternoon. According to Goa airport's director SVT Dhanamjaya Rao, after the dog was sighted, the pilot was instructed to delay the flight, but "he preferred to return to Bengaluru." The flight, UK 881, took off from Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru at 12:55 pm and returned at 3:05 pm.
Vistara acknowledged the diversion in a post on November 13, stating, "Flight UK881 from Bengaluru to Goa (BLR-GOI) has been diverted to Bengaluru due to runway restriction at Goa (GOI) airport and is expected to arrive in Bengaluru at 1505 hrs." Two hours later, another post indicated, "Flight UK881 which was diverted to Bengaluru has departed from Bengaluru at 1655 hours and is expected to arrive in Goa at 1815 hours."
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Director Rao mentioned that while instances of a stray dog entering the runway occasionally occur, the ground staff promptly clears the area. He noted, "This is the first such incident in my tenure of the last one-and-a-half years."