A Turkish Airlines aircraft sustained minor damage to a light on its nose landing gear after a pigeon struck the plane as it was landing at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on Wednesday morning.
According to an airport official, the bird strike occurred at 6:36am (Nepal time) as the aircraft was on its approach to land. A subsequent inspection found minor damage to the light attached to the nose landing gear. There were no reports of damage to the landing gear itself.
Following the incident, Tribhuvan International Airport was closed until 7:48am to allow the runway to be cleaned. Flight operations were disrupted as airport personnel worked to remove the bird's remains from the runway.
An airport airside official said the cleanup was delayed because the necessary personnel were not immediately available. The staff responsible for the cleaning were on leave, extending the time required to clear the runway, the official said.
The number of passengers on board at the time of the incident was not immediately available. The aircraft was reportedly scheduled to carry 71 passengers on its departing flight
Despite the minor damage to the nose landing gear light, airport officials said the aircraft was now ready to resume operations.
Suraj Kunwar is a senior correspondent with over two decades experience covering Aviation, Tourism and Mountaineering. He received the IFJ Tolerance Award in 2005.
