SIA flight encounters bird strike after take-off from Istanbul

SQ391, which took off at 1.30pm (Istanbul time) on Monday (Aug 17), was supposed to land in Singapore on Aug 18, 2015 at 5am. PHOTO: 7 NEWS/FACEBOOK

A Singapore-bound Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight on Monday(Aug 17) encountered a bird strike after take-off and had to turn back to the Turkish capital Istanbul, from where it departed.

A bird strike is a collision between a bird and an aircraft.

"The aircraft made an air-turn-back to Istanbul and all 255 passengers and 14 crew disembarked normally," a spokesman for SIA said. She added that arrangements have been made for passengers to be re-booked on alternative flights into Singapore or accommodated in hotels.

Engineers on the ground have been activated to assess the extent of the damage, the spokesman said. Media reports on the incident showed a small damaged area at the front of the plane.

The flight, SQ391, a Boeing 777-200, was scheduled to depart Istanbul at 1.30pm Istanbul time (6.30pm Singapore time) on Monday, and arrive in Singapore at 5am local time on Tuesday. A relief flight from Singapore to Istanbul will be deployed on Tuesday. The relief flight is estimated to depart Istanbul at 2.40am Istanbul time on Wednesday.

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