A Qantas flight heading to Auckland from Sydney returned to Australia on Friday morning after hitting a bird mid-flight.
Qantas has rolled out a new boarding procedure for domestic travellers to improve on-time performance.
Under the new system, passengers will be assigned a number from one to six on their boarding pass and asked to board when their number is called.
It’s hoped to reduce the amount of time passengers spend queuing.
Passengers at Brisbane Airport will be the first to use the new procedure on Monday.
Flight QF141 was about half an hour into its 7am flight on Friday when it turned back to Australia.
Tracking data from FlightRadar24 shows the Boeing 737 flying across the Tasman before diverting back Down Under in a windy pattern after the plane hit a bird.
The aircraft then circled above NSW’s Central Coast for 40 minutes before landing safely at Sydney Airport about 9:30am.
Flight QF141 diverted back to Australia on a windy path after striking a bird. Picture: FlightRadar24
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A Qantas spokesperson confirmed the incident in a statement to SkyNews.com.au
“One of our flights bound for Auckland returned to Sydney this morning following a bird strike shortly after take-off,” the spokesperson said.
“It landed normally and is being inspected by engineers. We will reaccommodate customers as soon as possible.
“We appreciate our customers’ understanding and apologise for the inconvenience.”
When bird strikes occur it is typically as the plane is taking off, or climbing to altitude or landing, however it can happen at any point in the flight.
The Qantas aircraft diverted after colliding with a bird over the Tasman Sea. Picture: James D. Morgan/Getty Images
Bird strikes usually damage the front of the aircraft and would impact the windscreen, engines and nose cone, according to SimpleFlying.
The turnaround comes after another Qantas flight was diverted over regional Western Australia mid-May after suffering a mechanical issue.
QF1050 departed Melbourne-Tullamarine airport shortly after 9am on May 15, but was diverted before reaching its destination of Broome in Western Australia.
The plane instead landed at Karratha, about 800 kilometres west, where it remained for about 40 minutes.
The aircraft diverted after pilots were notified of a potential minor mechanical issue and the plane landed in Broome after a 40-minute flight.