Dog crosses flight's path on Ahmedabad taxiway

Low-cost carrier SpiceJet on Tuesday said a stray dog crossed the path of its Delhi-Ahmedabad flight at Ahmedabad airport, but nothing untoward happened.

"Flight SG193, on December 19, after landing on runway 23 got an exit to taxiway at the end of the runway. While taxiing, halfway through the allotted bay, the captain saw a big dog jogging from the right side of the aircraft to the left, which (dog) was not even bothered by the approaching aircraft," SpiceJet said in a statement.

Ignoring the aircraft, the canine passed as close as 5-7 feet, forcing the pilot to apply the brakes immediately.

The aircraft was carrying 170 passengers, six crew members and an infant at the time of the incident.

"The pilot had to apply jam-brakes and then he informed the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) tower that a dog crossed his way 5-7 feet from the aircraft. To this, the ATC tower told him to hold position while they were sending a jeep," the statement said.

Expressing relief over the incident, the airline said the entire conversation between the pilot and the ATC was recorded and open for scrutiny.

It said it has notified the incident to all relevant departments at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).