Bird Strike Forces Fiji Airways Flight Back To Christchurch

A Fiji Airways flight bound for Nadi was forced to return to Christchurch International Airport after a bird strike shortly after takeoff on 9 October.

The Boeing 737-800, operating as flight FJ450, declared a full emergency and circled the city before landing safely with emergency services on standby.

Images from the scene showed visible damage to the aircraft’s nose cone, and passengers reported that the crew remained calm throughout the incident.

Fiji Airways confirmed that all guests and crew were safe and said engineers would carry out full inspections before the aircraft returned to service.

Christchurch Airport also issued a statement confirming that emergency services were activated as a precaution and stood down once the aircraft had landed safely.

The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand said the aircraft had likely encountered a flock of birds soon after departure and that all appropriate safety procedures were followed.

Bird strikes are a known hazard in aviation, particularly during takeoff and landing, and are routinely reported to the authority for monitoring and prevention purposes.

This was the second such incident in the region in just over a week. On 2 October, an Air New Zealand ATR 72 operating from Invercargill to Christchurch turned back shortly after takeoff following a bird strike.

Earlier this year, another Air New Zealand flight from Christchurch to Brisbane was forced to abort takeoff after reportedly ingesting birds into its engines.

Christchurch Airport and other major New Zealand aerodromes have wildlife management programmes that monitor and deter bird activity around airfields.

While bird strikes are relatively common, most do not result in serious damage thanks to stringent engineering standards and well-rehearsed emergency procedures.