A Ryanair flight bound for Liverpool was forced to make an emergency return to Alicante-Elche Airport on Monday morning after striking a bird moments after take-off.
The aircraft, which had been scheduled to depart at around 7.20am, hit the bird shortly after leaving the runway, prompting the crew to request an immediate return ‘for safety reasons,’ according to air traffic control sources.
Controllers cleared the airspace to the southeast of the airport to allow the plane to circle before making its approach.
The aircraft landed safely approximately 40 minutes after take-off, with no reported injuries or further incidents.
After undergoing the necessary safety checks on the ground, the flight was cleared to depart again at 9.19am, around two hours later than originally planned.
The plane completed its journey without further issues, landing in Liverpool at 10.33am.
Bird strikes, while relatively common in aviation, rarely lead to serious incidents, but standard protocol requires aircraft to return for inspection to ensure there is no damage to engines or critical systems.
