AirAsia jet returns to Australia after suspected bird strike

An AirAsia flight to Malaysia was forced to return to Australia shortly after take-off following a suspected bird strike, the carrier said Tuesday, the second incident involving the airline in the country in two weeks.

Passengers said the plane shook and bangs came from the right engine of AirAsia X flight D7207 following its departure from Australia’s Gold Coast to Kuala Lumpur late Monday.

The flight carrying 345 passengers and 14 crew was diverted to Brisbane airport north of the eastern city and landed safely, the Malaysian carrier said.

Officials inspect an engine of Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia X Flight D7207 after it was diverted and forced to land.

“Two bird remains were found on the runway,” the low-cost carrier said in a statement, adding that the starboard engine had experienced a “suspected bird strike”.

“We are following all regulatory guidelines to ensure the safety and well-being of our guests, who are currently being attended to by our ground staff,” AirAsia X chief Benyamin Ismail added.

“We would like to commend our pilot and crew members for their professionalism and swift action to reassure passengers who were on board flight D7207 and to land the aircraft safely in Brisbane airport.”

The Malaysian airline said it was arranging a special flight to take the passengers to Kuala Lumpur.

(CGTN)