Pigeon saves flight: Eurowings plane with 200 passengers delayed!

Pigeon saves flight: Eurowings plane with 200 passengers delayed!

What an unusual incident at Düsseldorf Airport! On June 30, 2025, a Eurowings aircraft that was supposed to take off from Düsseldorf to Malaga in Spain was ready to take off. With over 200 passengers on board, the plane waited for the pilot's signal to start the engine. But shortly before departure, an employee made a surprising discovery: a pigeon had gotten lost in the engine, which initially raised suspicions of a bird strike. Fortunately, however, the pigeon was alive and in good condition, like derwesten.de reported.

The incident occurred when the pushback driver spotted the bird and immediately raised the alarm to inform the aircraft team. This happened for good reason: bird strikes are a serious problem for civil aviation. In 2016, 991 such incidents were reported in Germany, and a tragic event last year in which 179 people died due to a bird strike in a plane crash in South Korea shows the danger it poses. It was all the more pleasing that the carrier pigeon, whose characteristic leg bands indicated that it had a carrier pigeon background, was recovered unharmed after a brief inspection of the engine.

The pigeon is safe

The pigeon was not only rescued after the incident, but was also brought to safety after consultation with a local falconer and released back into the wild at a suitable location away from the airport. This shows how important animal welfare is, even in such stressful situations. It is good news that everyone on board the Airbus A321 remained safe and flight EW 9536 to Malaga was finally able to take off with a delay of 48 minutes.

In parallel to the incident, security and bird protection measures were discussed at Düsseldorf Airport. Airports must maintain a high standard of safety, even if this means declaring bird sanctuaries nearby to create habitats for different bird species to coexist in the area surrounding the airports. This is a balancing act that airports like Düsseldorf have to master every day. Experts like Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hösch repeatedly discuss the challenges that arise from the necessary protection of civil aviation and the habitat of birds, especially with regard to security. lto.de highlights that the use of bird controllers is a strategy to increase safety without unnecessarily endangering animals.

In conclusion, the events at Düsseldorf Airport are a striking example of the unpredictable and sometimes bizarre challenges of air traffic management. Passengers and airport employees are even more required to keep a cool head in such moments and to always keep the well-being of everyone involved, people and animals, in mind.