GR696, which was headed to East Midlands on Sunday, landed without problems and it is understood that the aircraft, which resumed the flight, was not damaged.
A spokesman for Aurigny said that aircraft are built to deal with this eventuality.
‘Aircraft are designed to withstand the impact of a bird strike but there are safety procedures to follow during such incidents, whereby the aircraft are required to return to the airport and be inspected by our engineers prior to any further flights.
‘We have had a number of bird strike incidents recently. During September such occurrences are normally more prevalent due to increased bird movement during the migration period.
‘Guernsey Airport takes the maximum effort in both land management and wildlife management to minimise the risk of bird strikes.’
According to the British Airline Pilots Association, passengers do not need to worry about bird strikes.
They are fatal for the birds, however, and, after a strike, engines have to be checked for evidence of bird debris.
Incidents with large birds can cause damage to the engine. In 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 hit a flock of Canada geese, lost power in all engines and had to land on the Hudson River in New York.
The vast majority of bird strike incidents take place during take-off and landing, so at low altitude.
In 2017, there were 39 confirmed bird strikes at Guernsey Airport and staff do use a number of bird-scaring techniques, such as patrols. They also let off flares and cull flocks.
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