An Etihad flight, which had returned to Colombo shortly after take-off due to a bird strike, has since departed Sri Lanka and arrived in Abu Dhabi.
After a thorough inspection of the aircraft, the same Etihad aircraft took off from Colombo with all the passengers, a spokesperson confirmed to Khaleej Times.
The EY395 was initially scheduled to depart from Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) and land in Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport (AUH) at 7.45am. After the incident, the flight landed in Abu Dhabi at 12.40pm on Tuesday, after a nearly five-hour delay.
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After the bird strike, the airline apologised for the disruption. Ground teams were assisting passengers with travel arrangements, the airline said in a statement.
Etihad Airways had advised passengers to contact the airline through local phone numbers, live chat and social media in case of any queries. The airline also stressed that the safety and comfort of guests is priority.
On May 20, an Emirates Dubai-Mumbai aircraft hit a flock of flamingos about 300 metres (1,000ft) above the ground. While 29 dead flamingos were found that night, another 10 were discovered the next morning, according to a report, which quoted a forest official.
The aircraft landed safely, and all passengers and crew disembarked without injury. However, the aircraft was damaged, and the return flight, which had been scheduled to depart for Dubai the same day, was cancelled.
Bird strikes
Bird strike is common and can be a significant threat to aircraft safety. More than 14,000 bird strikes are reported each year in the United States alone, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. In 2022, the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority reported nearly 1,500 bird strikes over the year.
In a study carried out in 2020 by German researchers, it was found that Australia had the highest bird strike rate – nearly eight for every 10,000 aircraft movements. The US had the lowest at 2.83.
Bird strikes rarely occur at higher altitudes. It may occur during any phase of flight but are most likely during the take-off, initial climb, approach and landing phases due to the greater numbers of birds in flight at lower levels. Since most birds fly mainly during the day, most bird strikes occur in daylight hours as well.