A Delta Airlines flight returns to JFK after a bird strike was reported

A Delta Airlines flight that was forced to return to JFK International Airport after it struck a bird on its way to the Bahamas on Wednesday is back on its way.

The incident was first confirmed by the Federal Aviation Administration, which said it would investigate. The Delta flight departed the airport around 9 a.m. but returned to the airport around 9:45 a.m. after a bird strike was reported.

Shortly before noon, Delta told CBS News that the plane was “currently en route” to Nassau’s Linden Pindling International Airport after inspecting the plane.

There were 165 passengers on board, along with two pilots and four flight attendants, Delta said.

Delta said the Boeing 737 “had a bird strike after takeoff.” It is unclear how many birds were involved in the incident or what kind of birds they were.

“We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel plans,” Delta said in a statement.

According to the FAAAirstrikes on wildlife are on the rise around the world. An estimated 255,000 wildlife attacks were reported in the United States from 1990 to 2021. FAA evaluates that in this window, wildlife strikes cost airlines an estimated $900 million in aircraft damage. However, the agency said losses could be as high as $500 million a year, based on the estimated number of unregistered strikes and strikes for which airlines were not insured.

About a third of these incidents occur early in the flight when the aircraft is taking off or gaining altitude, another 61% occur during landing and only 3% occur when the aircraft is in its “en route phase”. The FAA said.

While such strikes can injure passengers, they’re rare: The FAA said there were 327 wildlife-related injuries on U.S. aircraft from 1990 to 2019. From 1988 to 2019, 292 deaths were reported worldwide.

There were no fatalities in one of the most famous cases of running into wild animals – the so-called. Miracle on the Hudsonwhen a US Airways flight was forced to land in the Hudson River after it struck a flock of Canada geese on takeoff from New York’s LaGuardia Airport, injuring 95 of the 155 people on board.