JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - A Cathay Pacific Airways Boeing 747-400 with 234 people on board made an emergency landing in Johannesburg after a bird strike just after take-off at the weekend, the firm said Monday.

The flight had taken off Sunday from South Africa's Johannesburg OR International Airport heading to Hong Kong when it returned and safely landed after dumping fuel.

"Shortly after take-off, the aircraft encountered a multiple bird strike," it said in a statement. The captain decided to make a U-turn.

"After a standard fuel jettison procedure in order to ensure an appropriate landing weight, the flight landed safely without further incident at 13:43 (7:43 pm Singapore time), approximately one hour and two minutes after departure," it said.

There were 213 passengers and 21 crew on board flight CX748 bound for Hong Kong International Airport.