An Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi to Ahmedabad was diverted after a cow strayed near the airport runway on Friday morning.

The incident forced the international flight to abort landing and divert to Mumbai.

Some other flights were delayed because of the incident, local media reported.

The Etihad pilot reportedly spotted the cow near the runway at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport which has launched an investigation.

A senior official was quoted as saying it was a "freak incident" that took place at 3am local time when a gate was opened for two vehicles and the cow followed them.

According to official data, in 2017 there were more than 1,000 incidents of bird strikes as well as animals colliding with planes at various airports in India.

There were 81 instances of animals straying into the paths of planes last year.