Passengers reported seeing blood on the plane and feeling dizzy from going around in circles on a Fiji Airways flight that encountered a bird strike above Canterbury on Thursday afternoon.
The flight sparked an emergency callout, after the plane reported hitting a bird during take-off at about 2pm and had to return to Christchurch Airport.
In fact, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) suggested the craft encountered "a substantial flock of birds".
The plane had to circle in the air for two hours above Canterbury to burn fuel, before attempting to land, and a large dent could be seen on the nose of the plane after it landed.
Passenger Kotte Aguilar was ready to have a tequila, after leaving the plane, despite not being a big drinker.
A large dent could be seen in the nose of the Fiji Air flight after it finally managed to land in Christchurch on Thursday afternoon. Photo: Supplied
She said she felt the impact of the bird strike on take-off, which she said was shaky, and then saw blood on the plane's engine.
This was an eventful first flight for 11-year-old Evie Davies and 10-year-old Khan Davies.
Evie said they kept going around in circles.
"I thought it was, like, weird that we keep going past the same thing."
Khan said: "There were some kids crying and yelling sometimes at some point, but it wasn't too bad."
Both reported feeling dizzy and sick from the flight, but they weren't too worried about hopping on another plane on Friday.
Christchurch Airport communications manager Sean Tully said bird strikes were not common at the airport.
The plane coming in to land just before 5pm. Photo: RNZ/Louis Dunham
"Safety is our No.1 priority," he said. "We have a dedicated wildlife management team that use a range of active measures to find and remove birds from our airfield, as well as a system to monitor and encourage use of land surrounding the airfield to reduce bird habitats."
Fiji Airways said its engineering team would now carry out the necessary inspections and maintenance checks on the aircraft.
Its reservations and customer care teams were also assisting affected guests with new travel arrangements and onward connections.
RNZ understands the Boeing 737-800 had more than 170 passengers on board, and Fiji Airways said all guests and crew on board flight FJ450 were safe.
"Our engineering team will now carry out the necessary inspections and maintenance checks on the aircraft. Our reservations and customer care teams are assisting affected guests with new travel arrangements and onward connections.
"We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused and thank our guests for their patience and understanding. Safety remains our highest priority at all times."
Fiji Airways flight FJ450 touches down. Photo: RNZ/Louis Dunham
The plane, destined for Nadi, landed shortly before 4.45pm.
"Bird strikes are a known aviation hazard, and flight crew are trained and equipped to manage them safely," said the CAA.
"The airline and airport followed established safety procedures, and CAA will be liaising with them to understand the circumstances and confirm any required follow-up."
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