Bird strike hits Qatar Airways plane, forces it to make emergency landing

Doha, Istanbul: A Qatar Airways passenger plane made an emergency landing at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport Thursday after a suspected bird strike caused a fire in one of its engines, aviation officials and the carrier said.

The plane was travelling to Doha and all the passengers and crew evacuated safely, Qatar Airways said.

"Qatar Airways can confirm that today's QR240 from Istanbul Ataturk Airport to Doha has returned to Istanbul and has landed safely," the carrier said in a statement.

Aviation officials told AFP the incident was caused by a suspected bird strike that caused one of its engines to catch fire.

The pilot followed all proper safety procedures, Qatar Airways said.

The plane was carrying 298 passengers and 14 crew, according to the airline.

Flight tracking websites said the plane was an Airbus A330.

Qatar Airways is one of the biggest carriers in the Middle East.