Private airline’s plane hit by bird at Lahore airport

KARACHI: A private airline’s plane was hit by bird while landing at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport on Thursday, ARY News reported.

A private airline’s aircraft, Airbus A-320 was hit by bird while landing at the Lahore airport. The pilot informed the control tower regarding the emergency situation.

A few moments before landing, the engine of the plane caught fire, said the pilot. The pilot added that a technical team of the civil aviation department was sent for the inspection of the plane.

READ: PIA flight hit by bird after take-off from Karachi airport

In July, it emerged that as many as 61 planes of foreign and national airlines had been affected by bird strikes from January 2023 to June 2023.

According to statistics shared by PIA spokesperson, the national flag carrier suffered a loss of millions of rupees due to bird strikes—with 39 bird hits reported in the last 6 months at domestic airports across Pakistan.

The data shows that Karachi Airport witnessed the highest number of bird strikes, with 19 incidents being recorded during this period. Lahore airport recorded 17 strikes, Islamabad airport 5, Quetta airport recorded 4 incidents, Multan Airport 2, Sukkur airport 2 and Sialkot airport recorded 1 strike.

The airline suffers heavy financial losses due to bird strike incidents as the affected aircraft are temporarily grounded.