A TUI flight bound for Cyprus was forced to make an emergency landing at Cardiff Airport shortly after take-off on Wednesday after striking a bird. Witnesses reported seeing flames coming from the aircraft as it departed.
The jet, which had been scheduled to fly to Paphos International Airport in Cyprus, landed back in Wales instead. Footage taken from inside the cabin during take-off shows a flock of birds flying to the right of the plane, with a bright flame visible near one of the engines underneath the right wing.
Passenger describes burning smell
One passenger onboard said the flight had been delayed by about 20 minutes before take-off, and that it returned to the same runway shortly after departing. “We could smell the burning in the cabin - it was horrendous,” she said. “When we landed there were two fire engines and loads of people checking the plane.”
Cardiff Airport confirmed that the aircraft, TUI flight TOM5TN from Cardiff to Paphos, experienced a bird strike on departure and landed safely at approximately 2.52pm. The airport's Fire and Rescue Service attended, and the runway reopened at 3.22pm with operations resuming.
All passengers and crew safe
A spokesman for Cardiff Airport said: “We responded to an incident involving TUI flight TOM5TN from Cardiff to Paphos on Wednesday, September 9. The aircraft experienced a bird strike on departure and landed safely at approximately 2.52pm. All passengers and crew are safe. Cardiff Airport Fire and Rescue Service attended. The runway opened at 15.22pm and operations resumed.”
The rescheduled flight from Cardiff to Paphos departed at 12.25pm on Thursday, the airport confirmed. Bird strikes are fairly common, with more than 1,700 recorded in the UK last year according to the Civil Aviation Authority. However, bird strikes resulting in severe damage to an aircraft or human fatalities are said to be extremely rare worldwide.
