Bird strike runway. Passengers and crew were evacuated through the starboard emergency exits. On January 4, 2009, a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter hit a red-tailed hawk in Louisiana. The hawk hit the helicopter just above the windscreen. The impact forced the activation of the engine fire suppression control handles, retarding the throttles and causing the engines to lose power. Eight of the nine persons on board died in the subsequent crash; the survivor, a passenger, was seriously injured. On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 from LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport ditched into the Hudson River after experiencing a loss of
Britannia Airways merged with First Choice Airways and was renamed Thomson Airways, retaining the previous logo and colours. As of January 2005, Britannia Airways operated services to the following international scheduled destinations: At the time of rebranding, the Britannia Airways fleet consisted of the following aircraft: From the 1980s onwards Britannia operated a solely Boeing fleet, unlike their rivals which flew Boeing aircraft alongside Airbus and McDonnell Douglas aircraft. Britannia however did at times lease Airbus aircraft. At the time of rebranding, Britannia was the largest charter airline in the United Kingdom, its position of market dominance being owed to the growth