A bird-strike delayed an Air New Zealand flight from Dunedin to Christchurch for more than an hour yesterday afternoon.
A passenger on NZ5750, who declined to be named, said the ATR 72-600 was accelerating down the runway when the incident happened.
"We powered up to go down the runway, and then the pilots put the brakes on and advised that they saw a flock of birds."
He said the plane taxied back to the terminal, where it was checked by maintenance staff.
"They confirmed that they’d hit a bird and now they’re just checking the plane out."
He said he did not see or hear the bird strike.
"Everyone was very calm, and Air New Zealand did a good job actually — they kept us informed."
The flight was supposed to depart at 1.35pm, but eventually took off at 3pm.
Dunedin Airport staff declined to comment on the situation, and Air New Zealand did not respond to requests for comment.
The incident did not appear to disrupt any other flights in or out of the airport.
