Emirates flight cancellation: The aircraft sustained damage in midair due to an accident.
An Emirates aircraft sustained damage after striking flamingos in India, leading to the cancellation of the return trip.
Emirates plane accident in the Indian sky.
The Boeing 777, traveling from Dubai to Mumbai, struck the flock at a distance of about 300 meters, killing at least 36 birds.
A Dubai-Mumbai Emirates airliner collided with a flock of flamingos just before landing, killing several migratory birds, an airline representative told Khaleej Times on Wednesday. As a result, the aircraft sustained damage.
The representative verified, "The aircraft landed safely, and all passengers and crew disembarked without injury."
"The return flight EK509, which was supposed to depart for Dubai on May 20, was canceled due to damage sustained by the aircraft in the incident," the official continued.
An Emirates flight was damaged after colliding with migratory birds.
When an Emirates aircraft struck some migratory birds, it sustained damage.
The event took place on Monday.
Emirates stated that it is "cooperating with Indian authorities on the matter." Emirates is based in Dubai.
Indian media reported that the tragedy claimed the lives of at least 36 flamingos, but wildlife specialists expressed concern that many more may have perished.
Bird strikes on aircraft are not unusual. According to government statistics, the Mumbai airport documented more than 600 instances of aircraft bird strikes between January 2018 and October 2023. The flamingos that flock to the wetlands around Mumbai's coast every December for a few months are well-known.
However, Pawan Sharma of the Mumbai-based Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) noted that the number of flamingo deaths in a single incident was rare.
Sharma told the AFP, "This is the first time we've hit so many flamingos."
The fact that some of the bird carcasses were "not in a shape to be recovered" made him express concern that many more may have perished.
"Flights across such important ecosystems pose a threat to resident and migratory species alike. Thus, it's critical to assess this occurrence and develop mitigating strategies in order to prevent future occurrences of this kind of regrettable event," he stated.
