An Etihad flight, which had returned to Colombo shortly after take-off due to a bird strike, has since departed Sri Lanka and arrived in Abu Dhabi.
After a thorough inspection of the aircraft, the same Etihad aircraft took off from Colombo with all the passengers, a spokesperson confirmed to sources.
The EY395 was initially scheduled to depart from Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) and land in Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport (AUH) at 7.45am. After the incident, the flight landed in Abu Dhabi at 12.40pm on Tuesday, after a nearly five-hour delay.
After the bird strike, the airline apologised for the disruption. Ground teams were assisting passengers with travel arrangements, the airline said in a statement.
Etihad Airways had advised passengers to contact the airline through local phone numbers, live chat and social media in case of any queries. The airline also stressed that the safety and comfort of guests is priority.
