“We thank all affected guests for their patience and understanding, and acknowledge the efforts of our teams in Christchurch and Nadi for ensuring a smooth travel experience.”
The flight was listed on the Christchurch International Airport website as having departed at 10am today.
A plane spotter's photo shows the damage to the aircraft's nose has been repaired overnight. Photo / Mark Butcher – Canterbury Plane Spotters
Images from the scene showed the plane’s nose cone damaged and streaked with blood from the bird impact.
Fire and Emergency NZ, police, and ambulance staff were positioned at the airport as a precaution.
Fiji Airways said all passengers and crew were safe.
Christchurch Airport said operations quickly returned to normal after the incident.
The airport’s wildlife management team is responsible for monitoring bird activity and minimising strike risk.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said it was notified as soon as the incident happened, however, Fiji Airways have 14 days to formally report the incident to the CAA with more information.
Emergency services at Christchurch International Airport on Thursday. Photo / George Heard
“Bird strike reports are part of a standard process and don’t normally require further investigation. However, the CAA will review the information when it arrives.”
They said an aircraft inspection is expected to have been carried out before it took off again.
“On average, there are around four bird strikes per 10,000 aircraft movements and from 01 Jan 2025 to 30 June 2025 in New Zealand there have been 239 bird strikes reported to the CAA.
“Each aerodrome has a wildlife management plan to safely manage the risk of bird hazards (under Civil Aviation Rule, Part 139).”
The aircraft, which can carry up to 170 passengers, was one of the most-tracked flights in the world on Flightradar24 during the incident.
Ben Tomsett is a multimedia journalist based in Dunedin. He joined the Herald in 2023.
