Saudia Boeing 787 sustained damage following birdstrike on approach to London

On the 3rd of March, 2024 a Saudia Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner sustained damage to its left wing leading edge slat after encountering a bird strike during its approach to London Heathrow.

The Boeing 787-10 with registration HZ-AR33 was operating flight SV109 from Jeddah (JED) to London Heathrow (LHR). However, the B787 encountered a bird strike during its approach to the airport on Sunday.

The incident reportedly occurred at around 14:45 UTC. and the flight landed safely on runway 27R at London Heathrow without any further incidents.

As a result of the bird strike, the aircraft’s left wing leading edge slat sustained damage. Footage shared on the internet shows a large hole on the left wing’s slats. According to reports, there were no injuries among the passengers or crew.

Bird strikes are a relatively common occurrence in aviation, although serious incidents are rare.

Airport authorities and airlines employ various measures to mitigate the risk of bird strikes, including habitat management around airports and the use of radar systems to track bird movements.