Kuwaiti budget carrier Jazeera Airways has yet to confirm the nature of the object involved in a collision with one of its Airbus A320s operating from Riyadh.
The aircraft had been operating flight J9787 on 27 August when, the airline says, it sustained damage to its starboard engine.
It says the damage was discovered after a "minor mid-air interception" with a "foreign object".
Several Middle Eastern outlets have claimed that the aircraft struck the cable of a tethered balloon belonging to the Kuwaiti defence ministry. This has not been confirmed, although social media images – purportedly showing engine cowl damage to Jazeera A320 9K-CAK – are consistent with a cable strike.
All aircraft systems continued to operate normally and the crew landed the aircraft safely, it adds. None of those on board was injured.
Jazeera says it is carrying out an investigation into the incident, in parallel with an inquiry by the Kuwaiti directorate general for civil aviation.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
