MADRID (dpa): A flight from Madrid to Paris was forced to turn back after colliding with a large bird shortly after take-off, damaging the aircraft and alarming passengers.
According to Iberia airline, the brand-new Airbus A321XLR, which had only been in service for a few weeks, was damaged on the nose and on one of its engines during the incident on Sunday afternoon.
Media reported that 182 passengers were on board the flight.
Iberia emphasised that the crew had acted immediately in accordance with safety protocols and initiated a safe return to the airport in Madrid.
Videos posted online showed passengers holding oxygen masks to their faces during the incident and a hole in the front of the plane.
Bird strikes are relatively common, Madrid air traffic controller Juan Gómez said in an interview with television channel RTVE late on Sunday. He said the impact was less severe than it may appear in pictures.
"The front part of aircraft is always made of very light material because it houses a weather radar that can detect approaching storms," Gómez said.
"Birds are a known and controlled risk in the aviation industry," the specialist portal Aviacionline wrote. It said airports take various measures to reduce their presence near runways, but collisions cannot always be avoided.
According to the portal, the certification of jet engines includes rigorous tests to ensure that they can be shut down safely in the event of a failure, without compromising the structural integrity of the aircraft. - dpa
