A jet bound for Spain was forced to return to Manchester Airport less than an hour after taking off following a bird strike. The drama occurred on Sunday afternoon with fire crews greeting the place when it landed before all passengers disembarked.
The EZY1877, from Manchester to the northern Spanish city of Bilbao, took off shortly after 2.30pm. The bird strike during take-off caused the Airbus plane to head back to the airport as a precaution. A replacement aircraft was arranged to continue the passenger's journey to Spain, which usually takes just less than two hours, the Manchester Evening News reports.
The aircraft was climbing after take-off when the incident occurred causing it to abort its ascent at around 5,000 feet before planning its return to Manchester. It flew over Macclesfield before circling over the Peak District and then travelling north over Glossop and heading back to the airport to land safely.
An easyJet spokesperson said: “ easyJet can confirm that flight EZY1877 flying from Manchester to Bilbao returned from airborne due to a bird strike during take-off. The pilot returned to Manchester in line with our procedures and as a precaution only.
"All passengers disembarked normally and a replacement aircraft has been arranged to continue the journey to Bilbao. Whilst this is outside of our control, we would like to apologise for any inconvenience experienced and thank passengers for their patience and understanding."
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