A SriLankan Airlines flight from Colombo to London Heathrow has departed on a replacement aircraft after a suspected bird strike forced pilots to abandon take-off earlier today.
SriLankan Airlines said flight UL503, scheduled to depart Bandaranaike International Airport at 12:55 p.m., experienced a suspected bird strike affecting one of its engines during take-off.
The pilots rejected the take-off as a precaution, and the aircraft was subsequently taxied back to the parking stand.
All passengers and crew disembarked safely, the airline confirmed.
Following the incident, SriLankan Airlines arranged a replacement aircraft and crew to operate the flight to London Heathrow, with departure initially scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
The replacement flight has since departed for London.
The airline apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers and stressed that safety remains its highest priority. (Newswire)