By Nneka Nwogwugwu
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has grounded Aero Contractors’ aircraft, Boeing 737-500 with registration number 5N-BKR for repairs in Port Harcourt after a bird strike.
The Abuja-bound flight returned to Port Harcourt after one of the engines got hit by a bird on Monday, few minutes after take-off.
The Director-General who confirmed the incident to the Punch, said that the pilot followed the due procedures when an airborne aircraft is struck by a bird and landed the plane safely.
He, however, said the aircraft had been grounded for repairs due to the damage caused by the bird strike.
An official of the airline also explained that the incident had cost the company a lot of money following the grounding and subsequent maintenance efforts.