United Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Sydney after suspected bird strike

SYDNEY, July 4 (UPI) -- A United Airlines Boeing 777 returned to the Sydney, Australia airport Monday after possibly hitting birds some 45 minutes after takeoff.

The plane, UA840 from Sydney to Los Angeles, made an emergency landing after it returned to its point of departure, where emergency service employees awaited. It carried 308 passengers and crew.

A statement from the airline mentioned the plane "returned to Sydney International airport right after takeoff due to a possible bird strike.' The flight was cancelled and passengers were booked on other flights. There were no injuries, although the "flight crew spotted bird strike damage to the plane," a passenger wrote on Instagram, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Prior to its return, the plane made several circular passes over the South Pacific Ocean near Australia's eastern coast to dump a significant amount of fuel before arrival.