Mumbai, May 21 (IANS): The Emirates airline confirmed that its Dubai-Mumbai flight EK-508 suffered a Flamingo hit late on Monday night near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) minutes before it landed, here on Tuesday.

According to an official spokesperson, the aircraft, a Boeing 777, with around 310 passengers landed safely without any casualties.

The aircraft hit, in which a flock of 39 Flamingos were killed in the Pant Nagar area of Ghatkopar suburb according to the officials, forced Emirates to cancel its return Mumbai-Dubai service EK-509, last night.

Owing to the cancellation, the Emirates arranged for an overnight stay for the passengers and crew and organised an alternative aircraft for the return flight which will depart tonight (Tuesday) at 9 pm.

The Emirates spokesperson, terming the loss of the Flamingo flock as ‘sad’, said it is cooperating with the concerned authorities in the matter, besides apologising to the passengers for the inconvenience caused.

It may be recalled that around 9.15 pm last night, the Emirates incoming flight suffered a hit by a flock of Flamingos over Ghatkopar, minutes before it touched down safely at CSMIA.

The Forest Department said in a statement that a total of 39 of the majestic pink birds were killed in aircraft hit, and their carcasses have been sent for an autopsy to determine the causes of the tragedy.