A second bird strike in just two days at Skopje Airport caused major damage to an Austrian Airlines Airbus 320 early this morning at around 04:00.
The incident occurred as the aircraft was preparing for take-off, when it struck a flock of birds. One bird nearly completely destroyed one of the aircraft’s engines. Although the pilots had already reached take-off speed, they decided to abort for safety reasons. Being close to the end of the runway made braking risky, but sufficient distance prevented a potential disaster.
Due to the severe damage sustained, the flight was fully cancelled. Local news outlet Infomax reported that the incident occurred under challenging conditions and that the location of the runway made the situation even more dangerous.
Second Incident in Two Days
This marks the second bird strike at Skopje Airport in just 48 hours. Only a day earlier, a Wizz Air aircraft collided with a flock of birds during take-off and was forced to return for an emergency landing.
These consecutive incidents have reignited discussions on bird populations around the runway and the adequacy of flight safety measures.
