SriLankan Airlines flight to London returns to Katunayake after bird strike

Daily Mirror, Lankadeepa and Newswire report that SriLankan Airlines flight UL503 was bound for London on October 28. Lankadeepa and Newswire give its scheduled departure time as 12:55 p.m. from Katunayake, also known as Bandaranaike International Airport.

Newswire and Newsfirst report that a bird strike occurred as the aircraft was preparing to take off or taxiing on the runway. Newswire says the suspected strike affected one engine, while Newsfirst reports that a bird entered the right engine and that the aircraft had a technical issue. Sri Lanka Mirror describes the event as a rejected take-off, but also says some accounts described the aircraft as returning shortly after take-off.

Newswire reports that the pilots stopped the take-off as a precaution and taxied the aircraft back to its parking stand. The airline confirmed to Newswire that passengers and crew disembarked safely. Sri Lanka Mirror likewise reports that passengers were safe and says the passengers later travelled on another SriLankan Airlines aircraft, registration 4R-ALP.

Newswire reports that SriLankan Airlines arranged a replacement aircraft and crew; the replacement flight was initially scheduled for 4:30 p.m. and later departed for London Heathrow. The airline apologised for the disruption and said safety was its highest priority, according to Newswire.