Vietnam aviation authorities report uptick in bird hits

Following a flight from Da Lat in the Central Highlands to HCMC on April 25, authorities found a dead bird inside an engine of the Airbus A321. The next day, blood was found on the tip of a Boeing 787 that had just flown in from Hanoi to HCMC, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.

Blood was found on several plane sections of the A321 on April 29 after it flew from Tuy Hoa in the central region to HCMC. On May 1, the A321 made another flight from the southern island of Phu Quoc to HCMC, and technicians detected more blood on its hull. The plane had to be grounded for maintenance.

Most recently on May 3, blood was found on the hull of the plane after it flew from Phu Quoc to HCMC, forcing more maintenance work on the aircraft.

The civil aviation authority said birds have been slamming into planes more often in recent months. Airports that have frequently encountered such incidents include HCMC’s Tan Son Nhat Airport and those in Da Lat and Phu Quoc. These have large fields and are locations where birds migrate to and from.

On Thursday, the civil aviation authority requested relevant units to chase birds and other wild animals away from airports, especially Hanoi’s Noi Bai and HCMC’s Tan Son Nhat.