International News

SYDNEY, July 4, (APP/AFP) – An AirAsia flight to
Malaysia was forced to return to Australia shortly after take-off following a suspected bird strike, the carrier said Tuesday, the second incident involving the airline in the country in two weeks.
Passengers said the plane shook and bangs came from the right engine
of AirAsia X flight D7 207 following its departure from Australia’s Gold Coast to Kuala Lumpur late Monday.
The flight carrying 345 passengers and 14 crew was diverted to
Brisbane airport just north of the eastern city and landed safely, the Malaysian carrier said.
“Two bird remains were found on the runway,” the low-cost carrier
said in a statement, adding that the starboard engine had experienced a “suspected bird strike”.
“We are following all regulatory guidelines to ensure the safety and
well-being of our guests, who are currently being attended to by our ground
staff,” AirAsia X chief Benyamin Ismail added.
“We would like to commend our pilot and crew members for their
professionalism and swift action to reassure passengers who were on board
flight D7 207 and to land the aircraft safely in Brisbane airport.”
The Malaysian airline said it was arranging a special flight to take
the passengers to Kuala Lumpur.