Dubai: Flydubai flight that was en route to Dubai from Kathmandu, Nepal, will make a safe return to Dubai International Airport (DXB) after the aircraft experienced a bird strike during takeoff from Kathmandu, officials said.

“flydubai flight FZ 576 from Kathmandu Airport (KTM) to Dubai International (DXB) experienced a bird strike during takeoff from Kathmandu,” the airline said in a statement to Gulf News.

“After following standard procedure the flight will to continue as normal to Dubai and is scheduled to land in DXB at 00:14 local time,” an airline spokesperson said.

The Boeing 737 aircraft departed from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport at 9.19 pm (local time) though the scheduled departure time was 7.55 pm, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24. It was scheduled to arrive in Dubai at 11.05 pm, UAE time.