Aer Lingus coronavirus mercy flight returns to Dublin following bird-strike on take-off

An Aer Lingus mercy flight from Dublin to China, to collect essential supplies needed for the fight against Coronavirus here, was forced to return to the airport this afternoon after suffering a bird-strike on departure.

Flight EI-9018 had taken off from Dublin at around midday when the crew immediately issued a Pan-pan radio call alerting air traffic controllers to their problem. A Pan-pan call is not as serious as a May-Day distress message and is used when there is no immediate danger to the aircraft or those on board.