A 50-seat passenger aircraft was grounded at Tauranga Airport this week after being struck by a bird as it was coming in to land.
Airport manager Ray Dumble said the bird strike was on an Air New Zealand Q300 flight from Auckland on Wednesday afternoon.
The plane was hit as it was landing about 12.50pm, but because there were no visible signs of impact, an engineer had to be brought over from Hamilton to make sure that none of the bird had been sucked into the engine.
The landing took place without incident but passengers booked on the return flight to Auckland had to instead go by mini bus, with priority international travellers departing earlier.
Air New Zealand spokeswoman Emma Field confirmed the aircraft was inspected by engineers and had since returned to service. Forty-three passengers were on board the incoming flight.