Lahore-bound flight hit by bird

ISLAMABAD: A Lahore-bound flight narrowly escaped a crash landing after it was hit by a bird.

The scheduled flight was to take passengers from Doha to Lahore when its engine was suddenly hit by a bird. However, the pilot’s skills came to a test when he had to make the emergency landing.

The airport administration has stated that the on board passengers were out of harm’s way due to the emergency landing. The jet was handed over to the engineers of Allama Iqbal International airport.



The flight later departed to its destination after an hour.

Meanwhile, in a similar incident a Pakistan International Airlines’ Toronto bound flight was hit by a bird, at the Benazir Bhutto airport.

Earlier, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority launched an awareness campaign against bird aircraft strike hazard (Bash) in the area surrounding the Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA) in March.

The campaign aims at keeping the surrounding areas clean from garbage, refuse and waste around airport site, said a press release.

At the BBIA, various initiatives are being taken to reinforce the message pertaining to the serious issue of bird strike on the aircraft, and its consequences.

The necessary measures will ensure safe and on-time flight operations at the airport.



Garbage dumping in plots surrounding the airport by the locals is a common practice that attracts birds to the area, which poses a serious threat to the aircrafts.

A bird strike is defined as a collision between a bird and an aircraft, which is in flight, during takeoff or on landing roll.

The term is often expanded to cover the other wildlife strike that is bats or ground animals.

Bird strike is common and a significant threat to aircraft safety, and lives of the crew and passengers are at great risk.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2016.