An Emirates flight flew into a flock of flamingos while landing in Mumbai, killing at least 36 of the migratory birds, the airline said on Tuesday.
The aircraft was also damaged as it landed in India's financial capital en route from Dubai.
Flamingos visit Mumbai in Maharashtra state and its adjoining areas often as they congregate in tens of thousands across various wetlands in the coastal city.
The incident took place on Monday at 8.50pm when the aircraft collided with a flock of birds, moments before landing at Mumbai’s international airport.
The flight, carrying over 300 passengers, landed safely at 9.15pm but the aircraft was grounded after it suffered damage, the airline said.
“Emirates can confirm that EK508 from Dubai to Mumbai on May 20 was involved in a bird strike incident upon landing,” Emirates said.
“The aircraft landed safely, and all passengers and crew disembarked without injury, however sadly a number of flamingos were lost and Emirates is co-operating with the authorities on the matter.”
The Dubai-bound return flight was cancelled and rescheduled.
The incident came to light after children spotted the carcasses spread across a radius of half a kilometre and called their parents to report the dead birds in the city's Ghatkopar area. Locals then complained to the forest department, officials said.
Sy Rama Rao, a senior forest officer, said that an investigation had been launched.
“Our team is on the ground and a full-scale investigation has been launched to find out the cause of death of the flamingos,” Mr Ramarao said.
The birds were flying north to Kutch in neighbouring Gujarat, a known feeding and breeding ground, when they were hit by the plane.
Power lines
Dayanand Stalin, an environmentalist with Mumbai-based Vanashakti NGO, blamed power lines set through the Thane Creek Wildlife Sanctuary for the incident.
“Something or someone has disturbed the birds who were roosting in Navi Mumbai," Mr Stalin told The National.
"In the sanctuary, there are huge towers which are very high, when you see the aircraft landing, you can see between the aircraft and the power line there is about 30 to 40 metre gap. The birds try to fly over these. The birds have tried to fly over the power lines and have come between the aircraft.”
Mr Stalin said the flamingos had visited the wetlands in the city since the 1990s but there has not been a flamingo strike before.
“What caused the flock to move at night needs to be investigated, it doesn’t usually happen. We have never had a similar situation before. Flamingos have never been an issue for the aviation industry," he said.
"The birds do not like to roam around, they prefer to be in the creek,” said Mr Stalin, adding that he has written to authorities about rerouting of power lines.
A dozen flamingos were found dead in the city's Navi Mumbai region in April. Their death was believed to be due to pollution that partially impairs the vision of the birds.
Bird collisions
Media reports said that as many as 600 incidents involving aircraft striking birds had been recorded at the city’s airport between January 2018 and October last year.
There were about 1,200 incidents of aircraft colliding with birds in the country in the first half of last year, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.
Collisions with birds pose a danger to aircraft and passengers.
In April, a collision sparked an engine fire on a passenger plane shortly after it took off from an Ohio airport in the US, forcing it to return to the ground.
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T20 World Cup Qualifier A, Muscat
Friday, February 18: 10am - Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm - Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am - Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm - UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am - Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm - Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm – semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm – final
UAE squad: Ahmed Raza (captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv
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FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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Stan%20Lee
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
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Volvo ES90 Specs
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Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
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Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
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LEADERBOARD
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Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021
Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.
Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.
Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.
Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.
Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.
Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.
Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”
Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI.
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
