A SpiceJet Delhi-Shillong flight carrying 75 passengers was forced to land at Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport in Patna on Monday after its cockpit windshield developed cracks mid-air.

“The SpiceJet Shillong-bound flight from Delhi (SEJ2950) faced a technical issue and was diverted to Patna airport. It landed safely at 8.52am with 75 passengers onboard,” Patna airport director Anchal Prakash told The Telegraph.

Prakash added that the landing was normal and all the crew members and passengers were safe, while the “SpiceJet aircraft maintenance engineers were looking into the matter”.

The airport director ruled out the possibility of bird hit behind the incident and said that bird hits do not occur at the height at which the aircraft was flying.

The SpiceJet Bombardier Q400 aircraft had taken off from Delhi at 7.03am and was scheduled to land in Shillong at 10.02am after a flight of around three hours.

Sources said that the crack in the windshield was noticed while the aircraft was cruising at around 450 miles per hour at a height of around
25,000ft.

A SpiceJet official said that the windshields have three different layers and the crack was only on one layer, yet the flight was diverted to the Patna airport as a precautionary measure.

The aircraft has been grounded at Patna airport. Alternative arrangements for the Shillong-bound passengers were being made.