Greater Bay Airlines cancels Hong Kong-bound flight from Taipei after bird strike

Greater Bay Airlines has apologised to passengers after it was forced to cancel a Hong Kong-bound return flight from Taipei on Wednesday night after a bird collided with the aircraft.

A spokesman for the carrier said on Thursday that flight HB704 experienced a bird strike just as it was arriving in Taipei, forcing the airline to cancel the plane’s return flight to Hong Kong on Wednesday night to allow for safety checks.

“The flight landed at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport safely at around 9pm without any injuries to our passengers and aircrew,” he said.

“As a safety precautionary measure, the aircraft had to undergo a thorough inspection before it entered into service again.”

The carrier said it had immediately arranged hotel accommodation for affected passengers, who were transferred to other flights to Hong Kong on Thursday.

“We apologise for the inconvenience caused to our passengers and state that flight safety is always the priority at Greater Bay Airlines,” the spokesman said.

Bird strikes have also been cited as a possible cause of Jeju Air flight 7C2216’s crash-landing at Muan International Airport in South Korea in December, the country’s worst-ever air disaster that left 179 people dead.