Jet2 flight forced to land after ‘loud bang’ as 999 crews swarm runway | UK | News

It was stated that the Jet2 plane had to land due to a bird strike after takeoff. The scare emerged shortly after the plane left Leeds Bradford Airport at around 9am on Monday, with the jet heading to Heraklion in Crete.

Minutes into the journey, the plane is thought to have hit a bird, prompting the pilots to abandon the climb and stabilize the plane at a lower altitude while they assessed the situation. Tracking data showed the jet remained in airspace north of Manchester and circled for about an hour at an altitude of around 10,000ft while crews worked on safety checks.

The aircraft was then diverted to Manchester Airport where it landed safely with emergency services stationed on the runway at 9.53am. Passenger Alex, from Baildon, recalled the alarming moment and said there was a “very loud explosion” followed by “the sudden smell of burning feathers and flesh.”

“We stood north of Manchester Airport at 10,000ft for about an hour waiting to land,” he told the Yorkshire Post.

“Emergency crews met us at the end of the runway [in Manchester] To inspect the engine and landing gear when making a heavy landing. We left the plane and transferred to another A320 in Manchester. By noon we were back in the air.”