'Bird strike' shuts down kulula flight's engine

A kulula.com passenger aircraft was forced to turn back after a bird flew into an engine during a Durban-to-Cape Town flight on Wednesday.

Airline spokesperson Glenda Zvenyika confirmed that a “bird strike” occurred on flight MN702, 15 minutes after taking off from Durban. The captain had to shut down the engine.

The Boeing 737 plane turned back and emergency services were put on standby on the ground.

The plane, carrying a crew of six and 130 passengers, landed safely after circling Durban International Airport to burn off excess fuel.

Zvenyika said a standby plane was being sent from Johannesburg to pick up passengers.

KwaZulu-Natal provincial emergency medical rescue services reported that none of the crew or passengers was injured during the incident.

Zvenyika said she was still awaiting further information.

It was not immediately clear at what height the plane was flying when it struck the bird.

Durban International Airport spokesperson Colin Naidoo said the plane landed at about 12.15pm and passengers were being “rerouted” to reach their final destination.—Sapa