During takeoff, the easyJet flight was hit by flocks of birds, which damaged the aircraft and engine. However, the aircraft could not land back immediately as it had to burn some extra fuel to avoid a heavy landing.
The easyJet flight crew followed the standard protocols and 30 mins after burning extra fuel, decided to land back at Faro Airport. The flight landed safely 35 minutes later at 4:40 PM UTC.
Luckily no injuries onboard or on the ground were reported by the airline. But many emergency vehicles including follow-me vehicles, ambulances, and fire fighting trucks rushed near the aircraft after landing.Following the incident, a red alert was issued at Faro. Now what is red alert, if you don’t know, here is a brief on it.
But the red alert was temporary and didn’t last long and all the traffic returned to normal.
The flight was operated by Airbus A319 registered as G-EZBT. Further, as per planespotters.net data, it is a 17.3-year-old aircraft and is powered by CFM 56-5A engines.An easyJet pilot fainted during a London to Lisbon flight on July 27, 2024, operated by Airbus A320 carrying 193 passengers from London Luton Airport.
The captain landed the aircraft safely in Lisbon. Paramedics met the plane on the runway to treat the unconscious co-pilot. They later transported the co-pilot to Santa Maria Hospital for further care.
Further, easyJet faced a similar in-flight emergency last April when a London Gatwick (LGW) to Agadir (AGA) flight diverted to Faro (FAO). The First Officer’s sudden illness prompted the unscheduled landing. The Captain executed a safe landing following standard procedures.