Virgin Australia flight’s ‘possible bird strike’ forces Boeing plane's emergency landing in New Zealand

A Virgin Australia Boeing jet has been forced to make an emergency landing in New Zealand following a "possible bird strike" following takeoff, which caused flames to shoot from its engines, officials and witnesses say. 

Virgin Airlines VA148 – a Boeing 737-800 that had 67 passengers and six crew on board – landed at Invercargill Airport on New Zealand’s South Island around an hour after departure, according to data from the flight-tracking website FlightAware. 

"Virgin Australia can...