A Virgin Australia Boeing jet has been forced to make an emergency landing in New Zealand following a “possible bird strike” following takeoff, which caused flames to shoot from its engines, officials and witnesses say.
Virgin Airlines VA148 – a Boeing 737-800 that had 67 passengers and six crew on board – landed at Invercargill Airport on New Zealand’s South Island around an hour after departure, according to data from the flight-tracking website FlightAware.
“Virgin Australia can now confirm that all passengers have disembarked VA148, which landed safely at New Zealand’s Invercargill Airport following a possible bird strike after departing from Queenstown Airport,” Virgin Australia Chief Operations Officer Stuart Aggs told FOX Business in a statement.
“At this time, we are not aware of any physical injuries to guests or…