Summary
- Emirates flight hits flock of flamingos upon landing in Mumbai, resulting in deaths of about 40 birds.
- The aircraft was damaged and stays on the bottom in Mumbai.
- Environmental activists imagine power lines in Thane Creek Wildlife Sanctuary could have caused the birds to fly off target.
An Emirates flight suffered an enormous bird strike incident on Monday after striking dozens of flamingos upon approach to Mumbai. Almost 40 flamingos were discovered dead around a suburb near the airport, with the Boeing 777 landing safely without further incident.
Emirates 777 hits flock of flamingos
The incident happened on Monday evening as Emirates Flight EK508 from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Mumbai International Airport (BOM) was on approach around 6km out from the airport over the Mumbai suburb of Ghatkopar. The flight – carrying around 310 passengers – landed safely at around 21:30 local time, with Emirates crew reporting the strike soon after touching down.
Photo: Flightradar24
In an announcement, Emirates said,
Residents in the world alerted authorities about scattered bird carcasses and body parts, including beaks and claws, across the neighborhood – Forest Department officials arrived in the world and started collecting the stays of the unfortunate birds, with the carcasses to be sent for an autopsy. An estimated 39 birds have been recovered and there are prone to be a number of more as yet undiscovered.
Emirates has also confirmed that the aircraft involved within the incident sustained damage, but didn’t elaborate on the severity. The return flight to Dubai that evening was canceled, and affected passengers were accommodated overnight before boarding a alternative aircraft the subsequent day. The damaged aircraft is a 777-300ER, registered as A6-ENT, approaching 10 years old after joining the Emirates fleet in August 2014 – Easy Flying has reached out to Emirates for an update on the aircraft and can provide an update accordingly.
Medium or large birds?
Mumbai welcomes hordes of flamingos every winter, which involves the region’s wetlands between November and May annually. Each the Lesser Flamingo () and Greater Flamingo (might be found during this era, and it hasn’t been confirmed which sort was involved within the birdstrike. The Lesser Flamingo would qualify as a medium-sized bird with a typical weight of between 1.2kg and a pair of.7kg (2.6 to six lbs).
![A Flock of birds flying in front of an airplane just after it takes off.](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/32shutterstock_1786000784.jpg)
Here’s What Happens During A Bird Strike
When a collision occurs between an aircraft and an airborne creature.
Nonetheless, Greater Flamingos are greater with a typical weight of between 2kg and 4kg (4.4 to eight.8 lbs), categorizing them as large birds. Engines are required to undergo bird ingestion testing to make sure they’ll delay within the event of bird strikes – nonetheless, running into flocks of medium or large birds is a unique matter to a single bird strike.
It was a flock of Canadian geese that disabled the engines on US Airways Flight 1549, forcing the Airbus A320 to ditch within the Hudson River. These birds are even larger than Greater Flamingos with a typical weight of between 2.5 to six.5 kg (5.5 to 14 lbs).
Environment disturbances
Environmental activists have suggested that the birds were on an uncharacteristic flight path as a result of the presence of recent power lines within the nearby Thane Creek Wildlife Sanctuary “causing disorientation to the birds.” As per the BBC, officials have released an announcement saying they will not be yet sure if the birds had deviated from their usual route.
![IndiGo Airbus A320neo at Mumbai International Airport BOM](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/indigo-airbus-a321neo-at-mumbai-international-airport-bom.jpeg)
Opening Soon: A Temporary Guide To Navi Mumbai International Airport
Mumbai’s second airport will take pressure off the congested BOM and expand capability to the town.
Mumbai can also be within the strategy of constructing a second airport, Navi Mumbai International Airport, which has faced stiff opposition from environmentalists. The airport is currently on track to open its first and second phases in 2025.