An aircraft landed safely at HCM City’s Tân Sơn Nhất Airport after a collision with birds that bent an engine fan blade, local media reported on Thursday.

Despite sustaining damage to an engine, the aircraft landed safely at Tân Sơn Nhất Airport.— Illustration photo

The Vietnam Airlines’ plane travelled from the northern city of Hải Phòng to HCM City. After it landed, mechanics conducted an inspection and determined that its second engine was hit by birds and had been damaged, a representative of the airport said.

Tân Sơn Nhất Airport and the airline checked the runway but found nothing unusual.

According to Deputy Director of the Việt Nam Aviation Administration Võ Huy Cường, the southern provinces have many large fields that serve as habitats for birds, so it was not uncommon for them to interfere with flights.

The country’s airports with the highest number of bird-related incidents are Tân Sơn Nhất, Quảng Trị Province’s Đồng Hới, Phú Quốc and Vinh.

Migratory birds often fly across above the runway at a height of 300-500m, making it difficult for captains to avoid them.

“Recently, Airports Corporation of Việt Nam has applied many methods of chasing birds away, including shooting birds with waves, but they have not really been effective yet,” Cường said. “So the forces at airports are cutting grass and clearing water ditches and bushes to avoid frogs attracting birds.”

In 2018, there were 20 incidents involving birds recorded at airports across the country. — VNS