China-made MA60 aircraft grounded in Nepal after hitting bird

A plane of Nepal's flag carrier has sustained minor damage and has been grounded safely after a bird struck its propeller Monday morning, officials said.

The aircraft under the Nepalese government-owned Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) with the call sign 9N-AKQ hit the bird at around 9 a.m. local time while landing at Biratnagar airport, east of Nepal's capital Kathmandu.

The 58-seater Modern Ark 60 (MA60), the first ever China-made aircraft that Nepal received more than one and a half months ago, started its commercial operation from June 25.

"The wing propeller (blade) of the aircraft is slightly damaged after collision and all the passengers on board are safe," Saroj Kasaju, the spokesperson of NAC, told Xinhua.

The plane, carrying 52 passengers and eight crew members, was being operated by two Chinese captains who were sent by Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation, the maker of Modern Ark 60 aircraft, to help train Nepalese pilots.

"The plane that has now been grounded at Biratnagar airport will remain grounded for at least a week as repair works have to be carried out after (we) import the equipment from China," said Kasaju.

The plane took off from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) at around 8.15 a.m.

Birds strike flying planes in Nepal is not a new phenomenon. More than a dozen aircraft have reported damage last year at the TIA due to collision with birds.