On 28 August 2019 at 11:00, TUI fly Belgium Boeing 737-800 registered OO-JAY was ready for the on-time departure of flight OR269 from Eindhoven to Heraklion. But boarding was delayed.
TUI fly spokesman Piet Demeyere explained to Aviation24.be that a rabbit had been sucked into the engine. The power of the engine is such that the animal had no chance of escaping. But the damage was such that the aircraft could not operate the flight.
The passengers were bussed to Amsterdam Schiphol and a replacement Boeing 737-800 from TUI fly Netherlands registered PH-TFA operated modified flight OR239, departing at 22:24 from Amsterdam to Heraklion, where it landed in the night at 02:45 with a delay of 11 hours and 15 minutes.
The return flight OR240 Heraklion-Eindhoven diverted to Amsterdam, as Eindhoven Airport was closed for the night. Its passengers were also bussed to their final destination Eindhoven.
The initially scheduled aircraft OO-JAY had two damaged rotor blades and re-entered into service the next day after a repair, according to Piet Demeyere. The fate of the rabbit is unknown…
