Plane turns back after bird strike

A China Eastern Airlines' flight from Shanghai to Brisbane returned to Pudong International Airport on Sunday night following a bird strike after takeoff.

Flight MU715 took off at around 9:30pm, bound for Brisbane airport, but returned to Pudong an hour later after the aircraft was struck by birds, the carrier said. The aircraft landed safely at 10:45pm.

To ensure safety, the crew decided to fly back for further inspections, the airline said in a statement.

A replacement jet left Pudong at 2:30am and arrived at Brisbane at 2pm local time, about five hours behind its original schedule.

Bird strikes most often occur during takeoff and landing, and can cause serious damage to engines.

Bird strikes happen more frequently in summer in coastal cities such as Shanghai when birds arrive to breed. The noise from aircraft engines can frighten birds into flight, increasing the risk of collision. 

In a previous incident, a China Eastern Airlines’ aircraft aborted takeoff at Hongqiao airport in December 2018 after a bird strike caused a mechanical malfunction. The aircraft, headed from Shanghai to Beijing, braked while taxiing. The plane returned to the apron and another aircraft was dispatched for the flight.