LAHORE: A bird struck the PIA plane coming from Jeddah here on Thursday. However, the pilot safely landed the aircraft.

According to a PIA spokesperson, the impact of bird hitting damaged the engine blades of the aircraft.

`Essential replacement parts were transported from Karachi to Lahore through other airlines. Following the replacement of the damaged blades, the aircraft left for Jeddah with a delay of three hours,` he said.

He said incidents of bird hitting planes near Lahore airport had increased over the period of time because of `unplanned urban expansion and the presence of wedding halls around the runway`. Staff Reporter