Istanbul Atatürk Airport runway briefly closed after planes hit birds
ISTANBUL
The runway of Istanbul Atatürk Airport was briefly closed to traffic following three incidents involving planes hitting birds on the morning of Dec. 19.
A Turkish Airlines flight bound for İzmir on the Aegean coast was canceled after a plane hit a large bird while taking off, with passengers transferred to another aircraft for their journey.
An Istanbul-Zagreb flight then also hit a bird while taking off, while a plane hit another bird while landing on the same day, Doğan News Agency reported on Dec. 19.
The runway was then temporarily closed to traffic as the airport authorities tried to bring the situation under control.
