Rajkot Hirasar Airport Grass Fire: Crackers Burst to Scare Birds Blamed, Delhi Flight Diverted to Vadodara, No Injuries Reported

What happened

On the morning of Thursday, 29 October 2026, a fire broke out in dry grass beside the runway at Rajkot International Airport, better known as Hirasar airport. Bhaskar English and Dainik Jagran both report that crackers were being burst to keep birds away from the runway before an Air India flight from Delhi was due. Sparks from the crackers fell on dry grass near the runway and it caught fire. Smoke spread across the runway and visibility dropped sharply (Bhaskar English, Dainik Jagran).

The Delhi to Rajkot morning flight was scheduled to reach at 10.25 am. Air traffic control did not give it landing clearance, and the pilot circled four times over the airport. When the smoke did not clear, the flight was diverted to Vadodara and landed there safely. After the runway returned to normal it flew on to Rajkot, reaching at 12.20 pm, and the aircraft left for Delhi at 1.11 pm. More than 100 passengers were on board. The airport fire team put out the grass fire (Bhaskar English, Dainik Jagran). Checked on 3 November 2026; we found no later report.

Where the reports agree, and where they do not

• Casualties and damage: neither report mentions any injury, death or damage to the aircraft or the airport. We read this as none reported, not as officially confirmed.
• Cause: both say the sparks came from crackers burst to scare birds. Bhaskar English describes the crackers as a measure taken before the flight’s arrival. Dainik Jagran adds that, up to its report, the airport administration or officials had issued no official statement on the cause or the diversion. We have not found one.
• Time of the fire: not given in either report. Only the flight times are stated. The Bhaskar English page also carries a publication stamp that is earlier than the events it describes, so we do not rely on it. Dainik Jagran’s report is stamped 2.43 pm IST on 29 October.
• Passenger count: “more than 100” in both reports; no exact number and no flight number are given.

What is not known

• The exact time the fire started, how long visibility stayed poor and whether any other flight was held back.
• Whether the airport operator or the airline has commented, and whether any inquiry has been ordered.
• Which bird-scaring method is normally used at the airport, and whether the crackers were part of the airport’s own bird-control routine.
• Whether the pilot had any fuel margin concerns while circling. The reports describe only a safe diversion; we do not guess beyond that.

What the incident teaches

Nobody was hurt, but this is more than a grass fire. An airport is a place where hundreds of people depend on a few runways working every hour, and here a small fire stopped a landing. The danger was not flames reaching the aircraft; it was smoke over the runway. The flight burned time in the air, could not land at its own destination, and more than 100 passengers reached Rajkot about two hours late. A fire that is quickly put out can still force an aircraft to divert.

The second lesson is about the method. Birds near a runway are a genuine hazard, and airports use several ways of keeping them off. A method that throws sparks needs dry grass, vegetation and wind to be taken into account, because the sparks can start the very kind of fire that closes a runway. We do not know what Hirasar’s normal procedure is, and we do not say that anyone broke a rule. That is for the airport operator and the aviation regulators to explain.

For comparison, read our case studies on the bus fire at Delhi airport, where passengers were not on board, the Delhi to Chennai IndiGo flight diverted after a reported power-bank fire and the Mumbai runway near miss of June 2024. Our blog on capped sprinklers and locked exits at Indian airports shows why fire safety inside terminals is a separate question from fire on the airfield.

What you can do

These are general points, not a finding about Hirasar.

• If your flight is diverted, stay seated, keep your seat belt fastened and follow the crew. A diversion is usually a precaution. Ask the crew or the airline about onward travel and food rather than crowding the aisle.
• Do not film the emergency at the cost of attention. Listen to announcements first.
• Keep your phone charged and your documents with you. A diversion can mean hours on the ground at an unfamiliar airport.
• If you live near an airfield or a dry field, keep it free of loose dry grass and rubbish, and never burn crackers or rubbish close to it. Our guide to emergency numbers explains whom to call (112 or 101) when you see smoke or flames.