An Iberia Airbus A321XLR, delivered to the airline just over a month ago, reportedly sustained damage during a flight to Paris Orly Airport (ORY) after colliding with a large bird.

The aircraft, Iberia’s newest and fourth A321XLR, took off from Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD) on August 3 shortly after 6:40pm local time. Within five minutes of departure, the flight appeared to turn back toward the airport.

In a statement to AeroTime, Iberia confirmed that flight IB579 struck “a large bird on the front section of the aircraft and one of its engines” shortly after takeoff.

Iberia said, "The entire flight crew, including pilots and cabin crew, acted with the utmost professionalism in managing the situation and attending to the passengers."

Viral footage showed oxygen masks deployed, with one passenger breathing heavily through the mask as a baby cried in the background. Photos circulating on social media also revealed damage to the aircraft's nose.

"Fewer than 10% of those bird strikes cause damage to the aircraft," ABC News contributor said, "In this case, the damage was severe enough to one of the engines that it caused smoke coming into the cabin.

Bird strikes are a common issue in aviation but rarely result in serious accidents.

In the Rajya Sabha at the end of 2023 then Union Minister of State for Civil Avaiation revealed that the total number of animal hits to flights in 2019 throughout India was 535 in 2019 — about 1.5 hits per day in India. This figure has shot up in excess to 100 per cent in five years to reach 1,123 in 2023 (calculated till October 31). That is more than three hits per day.

In 2024, the United States recorded an average of 54 wildlife strikes per day, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), with most involving birds.

About 90 per cent of bird strikes occur near airports - during takeoff, landing, or low-altitude flight - according to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Last month, South Korean investigators provided an update on the December 2024 Jeju Air crash, stating that the plane, which crashed during an emergency landing after a bird strike, could have continued flying on the damaged engine that remained operational after the pilots shut down the other one.