Emergency landing after bird flies into engine

The pilot of a passenger plane bound for France made an emergency landing today after a bird flew into one of the aircraft’s engines.

EasyJet flight EZY 647 with 119 passengers and a baby on board took off from Liverpool John Lennon Airport at about 1pm bound for Nice, on the French Riviera.

But just 10 minutes into the journey, the pilot contacted air traffic control at Liverpool to say he suspected a bird had struck one of the engines of the Boeing 737.

The airport was put on full emergency, with staff backed up by Merseyside Fire Service and Mersey Regional Ambulance on standby.

Liverpool Airport spokesman Robin Tudor said the plane made ‘‘a perfectly normal landing’’ and there was no need for an emergency evacuation.

‘‘The aircraft is currently grounded at Liverpool. It appears to have sustained quite a lot of damage,’’ he added.

A spokesman for budget airline easyJet said an aircraft sub-chartered from JMC in Manchester was expected to leave Liverpool for Nice at 4.20pm.

He added: ‘‘After about 10 minutes airborne the pilot felt something was wrong what seemed to be a bird had struck one of the engines.

‘‘He took the precaution of landing the aircraft and touched down again at 1.20pm. The diagnosis proved correct and a single bird had hit one of the engines.

‘‘The aircraft is likely to be out of action for 24 to 36 hours and may actually need a new engine,’’ he added.

The spokesman said neither passengers nor crew were injured.