Bird strike prompts Turkish Airlines flight's emergency landing in Dhaka

An aircraft of Turkish Airlines on Tuesday made an emergency landing at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka shortly after a successful take-off due to an unexpected bird strike in its second engine.

The flight, carrying 11 crew members and 280 passengers, was on its way to Istanbul. All the passengers and crew members were safe after the landing.

A press release issued by the Turkish Airlines' Dhaka office said the flight, TK713, had to return shortly after its take-off due to the bird strike in engine 2.

According to the Dhaka Airport Traffic Control, immediately after take-off, the aircraft's engine 2 caught fire. The captain informed that there was no fire, but he experienced severe vibration from the engine.

The plane was grounded due to an aircraft on ground (AOG) situation following the emergency landing at the Dhaka airport, it said.

As the aircraft requires repairs, the process will take some time. In the meantime, the passengers have been accommodated in nearby hotels for their comfort and rest, the press release added.

Group Captain SM Ragib Samad, executive director of HSIA, said, "Flight TK713 took off from the airport at 7:09am. However, the pilot made an emergency landing at 8:01am as smoke was generated in the right engine due to a bird strike, immediately after take-off."

Earlier, the plane exhausted all reserved fuel roaming in the sky to avert any unexpected incident.

Mr Samad further said Turkish Airlines has already managed an additional aircraft on the route that would transport the passengers to their destination. The new aircraft would take off from the Dhaka airport at 5:00am today (Wednesday).

HSIA experienced at least two emergency landings in the last five days.

A flight of the state-owned Biman Bangladesh Airlines on Friday landed safely at the airport despite losing a wheel from its main landing gear shortly after its take-off from Cox's Bazar.

The incident took place moments after flight BG 436 took off from Cox's Bazar Airport for HSIA at 1:21pm. However, the flight landed at HSIA at 2:20pm safely, and all the passengers and crew members were safe.

A growing number of incidents of bird strikes in the sky around HSIA have created a major safety concern for flight operations, according to a survey that found unregulated business activities within its 10-kilometre radius makes a breeding space for birds.

The study carried out by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has found that 55 per cent of 1,335 dumping grounds around HSIA remain open while 50 per cent of 753 kitchen markets and 85 per cent of 663 slaughtering houses are located on the roadside in open spaces.

The study findings were disclosed at a workshop organised by the CAAB at its auditorium on January 8 this year amid incidents of different international aircraft accidents in the world.

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