EasyJet flight EZY415 from Glasgow to Southampton declared a mid-air emergency and diverted to Liverpool John Lennon Airport on Sunday morning after a bird strike shortly after take-off.
The Airbus A319 departed Glasgow Airport at 8.09am on October 18 and was scheduled to land at Southampton Airport at 9.25am. Instead, the crew transmitted a squawk code 7700 just 25 minutes into the flight, according to the Express.
Emergency Declaration Over Lancashire
Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 showed the aircraft heading southwards at approximately 24,000ft over Lancashire when the emergency code was sent. After several circuits above Liverpool, the plane landed safely at 9.14am.
A spokesperson for easyJet confirmed the disruption was caused by a bird strike and said a replacement aircraft would be arranged to carry passengers on to Southampton.
Airline Statement and Procedures
The spokesperson told the Daily Record: "Flight EZY415 from Glasgow to Southampton this morning diverted to Liverpool in line with procedures due to a bird strike after take-off.
"We are arranging for a replacement aircraft to continue the flight to Southampton later this morning. The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority and while this was outside of our control, we would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused."
Squawk codes are four-digit signals used by pilots and air traffic control to communicate in flight. Code 7700 indicates a general emergency, which may be mechanical, technical, or medical in nature.
Recent Similar Incidents
The diversion follows a British Airways flight to Portugal that returned to Gatwick Airport on Tuesday due to a minor technical fault.
Last week, a separate BA flight bound for Chicago declared an emergency over Ireland before returning to the UK. That aircraft circled over southern England for several hours and landed back at Heathrow.
