British Airways flight forced to divert after bird strike causes fumes in cabin

A British Airways flight from Washington DC to London was forced to make an emergency stop in Boston following reports of a bird strike and “smoke in the cabin”.

Flight 216 departed Dulles International Airport on Saturday (26 April) around 5.30pm local time but was forced to land at Boston Logan International Airport around 7.30pm “after the crew reported a possible bird strike and fumes in the cabin,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement to CBS News.

A spokesperson for British Airways said that the Boeing 777 was diverted to Boston “as a precaution following a suspected bird strike”.

It added that engineers were inspecting the aircraft.

A Massachusetts Port Authority spokesperson also confirmed that ”a bird was struck“ and that the plane ”landed without incident.“

There were no reports of injuries. It is unclear how many people were onboard.

According to CBS, the FAA said it will investigate the incident.

In a statement to The Independent, a spokesperson for British Airways said: “The flight landed safely after diverting to Boston as a precaution following a suspected bird strike.

“We are sorry for the delay to our customers’ travel plans, but the safety of our customers and crew is always our priority.”

The news follows the major aviation disaster on 30 December 2024 when 179 passengers lost their lives after a Jeju Air flight crashed in South Korea following a suspected “bird strike”.

South Korean aviation authorities were reportedly warned about a high risk of bird strikes near the Muan international airport prior to the tragedy.

Bird strikes are common in the aviation industry and are most likely to occur during takeoff, landing or near airports.

According to the latest Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) figures, there were 1,432 recorded bird strikes in the UK in 2022. The CAA recorded an average rate of 256 bird strikes per 10,000 aircraft movements in July of the same year.

It is very rare for a bird strike to be linked with fatalities, and in the majority of collisions, aircraft land safely with very little damage.

Of over 1,400 strikes recorded in 2022, only 45 caused aircraft damage, with just 28 resulting in a flight return or diversion.

Read more: What is a bird strike? How concerned you need to be when flying