Virgin Australia flight’s ‘possible bird strike’ forces Boeing plane's emergency landing in New Zealand

A Virgin Australia Boeing jet has been forced to make an emergency landing in New Zealand following a "possible bird strike" following takeoff, which caused flames to shoot from its engines, officials and witnesses say. 

Virgin Airlines VA148 – a Boeing 737-800 that had 67 passengers and six crew on board – landed at Invercargill Airport on New Zealand’s South Island around an hour after departure, according to data from the flight-tracking website FlightAware. 

"Virgin Australia can now confirm that all passengers have disembarked VA148, which landed safely at New Zealand’s Invercargill Airport following a possible bird strike after departing from Queenstown Airport," Virgin Australia Chief Operations Officer Stuart Aggs told FOX Business in a statement.

"At this time, we are not aware of any physical injuries to guests or crew. Emergency services personnel are on the ground at Invercargill Airport," he added. The flight was heading from Queenstown, New Zealand, to Melbourne, Australia.

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Passenger Michael Hayward told ABC News that flames appeared to be shooting out of the plane’s engines following takeoff. 

"After 50 minutes of flying to burn fuel and lose weight, the aircraft diverted to Invercargill," he said. 

Darren Robinson, a witness on the ground, also wrote on social media that he "[h]eard a loud bang and went outside to see a plane engine on fire," according to ABC News. 

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New Zealand’s national fire service said a fire had shut down one of the plane’s engines, The Associated Press reported. 

"Our efforts are now focused on providing support for our guests and crew, as well as transporting and accommodating guests in Invercargill this evening and arranging for their earliest onward travel to Australia," Aggs told FOX Business.

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"We wish to express our appreciation for the support of Invercargill Airport, Emergency Services, local Air New Zealand team members and our crew onboard in helping to support tonight’s response effort," he added.