Shocking photos have revealed the damage to a Saudi Arabian Airlines plane caused by a bird strike. A passenger on the tarmac spotted a gaping hole in the Airbus A333’s left wing and on closer inspection staff discovered a dead bird – seemingly an eagle – embedded in the aircraft.

The passenger jet had landed at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from Dammam on the east coast of the country, reportedly without incident.

According to Aviation Herald, flight SV-771 ‘performed a seemingly uneventful flight’ despite the creature becoming lodged in the plane.

The damage was reportedly spotted by a flyer as crew prepared the aircraft for a domestic flight to Riyadh. As a result passengers on flight SV-550 were delayed for three hours before boarding a replacement A330 aircraft.

The incident took place on November 16 and the aircraft has reportedly remained on the ground since the discovery.