Birdstrike forces easyJet flight to return to Newcastle

PA

An easyJet flight was forced to make an emergency landing at Newcastle airport on Thursday, after flying into a flock of birds soon after takeoff.

According to the Northern Echo, the easyJet Airbus 319 left Newcastle Airport for Bristol at about 8pm on Thursday, with 148 passengers and six crew on board.

The pilot made the decision to make a U-turn back to Newcastle as a precautionary measure, minutes after the plane became airborne. Fire engines were scrambled to the runway, but the plane landed safely.

Passengers and airport visitors quickly took to Twitter to talk about the incident.

Boris Watch tweeted: "easyJet made it from Newcastle to, er, Consett before turning round. Must have gone wrong at or very shortly after takeoff."

Passengers were then left stranded at Newcastle for four hours as engineers worked to prepare the plane for a second try at takeoff.

A spokesman for easyJet said: "easyJet can confirm that flight EZY569 flying from Newcastle to Bristol returned to Newcastle Airport on October 4, 2012, due to a birdstrike shortly after takeoff.

"The captain took the decision purely as a precautionary measure. The safety and welfare of our crew and passengers is easyJet's top priority.

"The airline would like to thank passengers for their patience and apologise for any inconvenience caused."

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