Bird strike forces Qantas passenger jet to abort flight

A bird strike forced a Qantas passenger aircraft to return to Sydney airport early today.

Flight QF141 took off from Sydney at 7.20am bound for Auckland in New Zealand, but was forced to return a short time later due to a bird strike and landed just after 9.30am.

Qantas says the Boeing 737 jet landed normally and is being inspected by engineers.

“We will reaccommodate customers as soon as possible,” the airline said in a statement.

“We appreciate our customers’ understanding and apologise for the inconvenience.”