Air Malta plane sustained ‘significant damage’ after bird strike, CEO says

Updated at 1pm with Paris Orly cancellation

An Air Malta flight from Berlin sustained significant damage after encountering a bird strike on New Year’s Eve.

Air Malta CEO David Curmi told MaltaToday that the bird strike caused damage to the aircraft’s engine, which is now being repaired in Berlin.

The A320 aircraft was carrying 165 passengers, five infants and six crew members at the time of the strike.

Curmi said Air Malta made hotel arrangements for the passengers affected. While they were supposed to land in Malta on New Year’s Eve, a replacement aircraft took them to Malta on New Year’s Day.

However, the cancellation led to significant disruption in Air Malta's planned flight operations for New Year's Day. 

This disruption led to the cancellation of flight KM466/467 Malta - Paris Orly - Malta on 1 January. Customs were provided with hotel accommodation in both Malta and Paris, with replacement flights schedules for Tuesay evening.

Air Malta apologised for the inconvenience caused by the bird strike. "Safety is always placed as Air Malta’s top priority and the airline is taking all steps possible to recover the cancelled flights as soon as possible."