Air Malta confirms that flight KM377, operating from Berlin to Malta on 31 December 2022, encountered a bird strike shortly after take-off at 17:50.
The Airbus A320 aircraft registered 9H-AEP, carrying 165 passengers, 5 infants and 6 crew, was turned around and landed safely back in Berlin at 18:20.
A new flight operated by SmartLynx Airbus A321 registered YL-LDR had been scheduled to depart at 12:00 on 1 January 2023, but eventually took off at 14:55.
Air Malta would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused by this event outside its control and at all times places utmost priority on the safety of our passengers and crew.