Flight Diverted After Bird Strike: Flight in Emergency Diversion to JFK
A flight has been diverted from its scheduled route to Florida, after the plane's safety was compromised by a bird strike on Thursday.
The Jet Blue flight was traveling from Westchester County to Florida, however, following the bird hit the plane was diverted to New York's JFK Airport, the airline has confirmed.
Jet Blue has said that its flight 1205, traveling from White Plains to Fort Myers "experienced a bird strike shortly after takeoff."
The plane managed to travel and land safely at JFK Airport, where passengers were taken off the aircraft and put on another plane to complete their journey.
According to reports, no injuries were sustained in the incident, and the diversion was part of the safety measures taken by the airline during such an incident.
The airline has said it decided that it should use "an abundance of caution" in diverting the plane from its longer journey to ensure the safety of all involved.
The bird is said to have hit the plane just after takeoff from Westchester County Airport, and the plane set down at JFK at about 8.25 a.m. Thursday.
Passengers eventually arrived in Florida at their scheduled destinations about two hours late.
Federal transport officials have reported that nearly 10,000 aircraft a year are involved in bird strikes, and in 2009 a flight went down in the Hudson River in New York City after a flock of geese hit the plane.