Airline flies six-hour ‘flight to nowhere’ following bird strike

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A plane flew a six-hour “flight to nowhere” after a bird strike in mid-air.

KLM flight 515, which departed Amsterdam Schiphol airport for Zanzibar, Tanzania, on 28 February, was flying over the Mediterranean Sea just south of Greece when the crew made the decision to turn back for the Dutch capital.

The Boeing 777 jet was three hours into its journey, which ordinarily takes around eight and a half hours.

Flight tracking website RadarBox reported the reason as a “bird strike”, although it’s not clear whether the aircraft hit a bird while cruising over the Mediterranean or upon take-off.

The plane landed back in Amsterdam just over six hours after it took off.

The Independent has contacted KLM for more information.

Flights that end up back at their departure airport are called “flights to nowhere”.

During the Covid pandemic, various airlines have launched “flights to nowhere” to capitalise on travellers’ desire to fly.

In September, a Qantas “flight to nowhere” became one of the fastest-selling in the airline’s history, with all tickets snapped up in 10 minutes.

The Australian flag carrier flew a seven-hour scenic route around the country, which took off from and landed in Sydney, amid ongoing travel restrictions.

The flight allowed passengers to enjoy views over Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef and other landmarks.