On 14 September, a TUI fly Belgium Boeing 737 MAX 8 (OO-TMB) operating flight TB5698 from Ostend Airport to Palma de Mallorca hit a flock of birds on take-off at Ostend. The damage to the aircraft – one bird ingested in the right hand engine – forced the pilots to divert to Brussels Airport, where the airline has its maintenance base.
Next to the damage to the engine, there was also visible damage to left and right wing. At least one bird hit the main landing gear.
OO-TMB is one of TUI’s four Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft and entered the fleet in May of this year.
All 110 passengers could continue their journey to Palma de Mallorca on a smaller Boeing 737-700 (OO-JOS), spokesman Piet Demeyere confirmed to newspaper Het Nieuwsblad. For the return flight, however, a few passengers are forced to stay overnight on the island of Mallorca.
