A Turkish Airline jet was today forced to land back at the Entebbe Airport in Uganda minutes after takeoff following a bird strike according to Ugandan Authorities.

In a statement, the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority said that a Turkish Airline flight number 606 departed Entebbe at 7.30 am for Istanbul during rainy weather when it, unfortunately, experienced a bird strike during take-off.

The statement was thereafter forced to hover in Ugandan airspace as a precautionary measure before it landed at the airport at 8.52 am to be checked for airworthiness.

“The Turkish Airlines flight number 606 has been cleared and departed Entebbe International Airport at 10:49 am with 281 passengers and crew on board,” the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority said after a two hour delay for inspection.

According to the aviation authority there is a Bird Hazard unit at the airport, which undertakes a runway sweep (scaring away of birds) prior to any take-off or landing.

“That is how we have managed to reduce on instances of this nature inspite of Entebbe being a bird sanctuary.”