Jet2 flight forced into emergency landing in Manchester after collision with geese

TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say A passenger named Alex, from Baildon, recounted hearing a very loud bang aboard the aircraft, which was immediately followed by an immediate smell of burning feathers and flesh.He explained that the plane remained in a holding pattern north of Manchester at 10,000ft for approximately one hour while awaiting clearance to land.Upon touching down, emergency services were positioned at the runway's end to examine both the engine and landing gear, as the aircraft was carrying more fuel than typical for a landing.We landed heavy, Alex told The Yorkshire Post, describing how crews inspected the plane before passengers could disembark.Despite Leeds Bradford being the nearest airport, the decision was taken to reroute to Manchester instead. According to aviation outlet AirLive, this represents standard practice for aircraft experiencing technical difficulties in the region, owing to Manchester's longer runways, superior maintenance facilities and greater capacity for rebooking travellers.Passengers were transferred to a replacement Airbus A320 at Manchester and resumed their journey before midday.LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:Cash-strapped council defends decision to pay 25 staff more than £100,000Hundreds of thousands of landlords risk £19,000 bill under Labour crackdownHuge fire breaks out in Brighton as smoke engulfs seaside city's skylineAlex praised the airline for how it managed the situation, adding: The crew handled it brilliantly with immediate updates from the cockpit to put people at ease and let us know the plan.Complimentary drinks were also offered on the subsequent flight, to compensate for the inconvenience.Bird strikes most commonly occur during takeoff, landing, or low-altitude flight.Such incidents, where airborne wildlife strikes a moving plane, pose significant safety risks and require thorough investigation before normal operations can resume.While catastrophic accidents are rare, bird strikes can damage engines, windshields, and airframes, reportedly causing more than 900million in annual damage to US civil and military aviation.Bird strikes are more common than one might think, with several flights from UK airports facing similar emergency diversions since January.At the beginning of the year, a Bristol-bound EasyJet flight was forced to land 180 miles away from its destination after a fuel emergency caused by a bird strike on January 25.Not long after, a flight from Liverpool to Fuerteventura declared an emergency shortly after takeoff in February after striking a bird mere moments after takeoff. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter