An owl struck the right engine of a Thai Viet Jet aircraft, as it was parked on the apron of Khon Kaen international airport on Saturday night, causing the flight to be delayed and its 159 passengers to be transferred to another aircraft.

The incident took place at 7.35pm as Thai Viet Jet’s flight VZ215 was waiting for the 159 passengers to board.

The bird strike forced the airline to arrange for another aircraft to carry the passengers to Bangkok, albeit several hours behind schedule.

The damaged plane remains on the apron, as mechanics assess the damage.