Bird strikes are a known risk to aviation around the world and airports put considerable effort into mitigating this risk, Queenstown Airport has said, following an incident on Monday (June 17).

Reports suggest bird strikes were the cause of an engine fire that forced a Queenstown-Melbourne flight to make an emergency landing in Invercargill yesterday.

Flames were seen coming from the Virgin Australia flight - a Boeing 737 with 73 people on board - as it took off over the Shotover Delta at 6pm. Virgin Australia chief operations officer Stuart Aggs later confirmed the diversion was due to "a possible bird strike on take-off". 

An inspection was completed minutes before Virgin Australia flight VA148 departed on Monday and no birds were detected on the airfield at that time, Queenstown Airport said this morning.

The Civil Aviation Authority records the incident rate for bird strikes at Queenstown Airport as ‘low’, the airport said.

“Bird activity varies according to the season and migratory patterns. The primary species of concern at Queenstown are oystercatchers and plovers, along with smaller birds such as finches, starlings, and sparrows”.

The Airport Emergency Service (AES) team is responsible for ongoing wildlife hazard management at ZQN and monitors bird activity around the airport closely, the airport said.

“A range of measures are used to deter birds from settling on the airfield and surrounds. These include mowing grass to keep it low and less attractive to birds, spraying to reduce food sources, and use gas cannons, acoustic machines, lasers, and pyrotechnics to scare birds away.

“We also work with our neighbours to reduce the likelihood of birds settling nearby.”

In addition airfield inspections are conducted by ZQN staff multiple times each day.

If a pilot suspects a bird strike has occurred, this is immediately reported to the Airways control tower, which in turn advises the AES team on duty, and a runway inspection is immediately carried out.

IMAGE: Supplied