Bird strike hits passenger jet in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

A Turkish Airlines passenger jet was forced to return to Istanbul Ataturk International Airport on Monday after being suffering a bird strike, the company has said.

The Airbus 330 plane, carrying around 170 passengers, took off at around 8.40 a.m. local time (0640GMT), according to local media.

The plane struck a bird during take-off and the pilot decided to return to the airport.

No injuries were reported and the aircraft landed safely. Passengers were taken to another airplane to continue their journey to Barcelona, Turkish Airlines said.