A loud bang is heard before passengers react
Passengers on a homeward-bound flight to Northern Ireland experienced a more nerve-racking flight than usual when a bird strike occurred shortly after take-off yesterday.
One passenger captured the event on video which featured a loud bang from the bird striking the plane. The incident occurred on the Airbus A320 Neo aircraft – EasyJet 3052/U23052 – after it departed Amsterdam Airport Schiphol on Sunday evening, destined for Belfast.
But, after a bird impacted with the aircraft, it diverted back to Schiphol Airport as it completed a loop over the ocean before heading inland to it’s departure location.
The passenger not knowing fully what was going to happen after the bird hit the plane labelled the encounter as a “scary” experience.
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They added: “I am just glad we made it safely back on the ground.”
An update at the time from EasyJet read: “We’re sorry that your flight has been returned to Amsterdam. This is because the plane needs to be inspected by our engineers following a bird strike.”
“This can take between 30 minutes to two hours and we’ll keep you updated as soon as we know more. The safety of you and our crew is our highest priority and we thank you for your patience.”
Bird strikes are a common occurrence and a regular hazard for air travel with thousands of incidents reported from around the world annually.
Belfast Live has approached EasyJet for an updated comment.
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