Filed under: UK travel
Stock photo, Norwich Airport: Rex
A passenger plane made an emergency landing at Norwich Airport on Saturday after the aircraft struck a bird shortly after take-off.
The 1pm BMI service to Aberdeen was carrying 19 passengers and three crew when a swallow flew into one of the engines.
The captain decided to turn the plane straight around, and made a safe landing at 1.11pm - but not before an emergency plan, including police, ambulance and fire crews was put into action.
Richard Pace, operations director at Norwich International Airport, told the Norwich Evening News: "The captain reported that the bird had gone down one of the engines and decided to come back as a precaution. At 1.11pm the aircraft landed safely, taxied as normal and the passengers disembarked safely.
"We declared a full emergency and it activated an emergency plan which included the Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, Norfolk Constabulary and the East of England Ambulance Service. All my reports say everyone reacted in accordance with the plan.
"Bird strikes are not common, but they are something we have to take account of. It is infrequent that an aircraft has to come back and make a forced landing. We have a robust bird control policy, using a multitude of tools to make sure the risk is kept to a minimum.
"Clearly in this case, the captain felt a forced landing was in order."
He added that passengers were delayed by about five-and-a-half hours before they eventually flew on another plane.
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