An easyJet flight that took off from Southend Airport on Saturday morning was forced to divert to Gatwick, with airport fire engines dispatched to meet it.
Residents across Southend and Leigh reported hearing the plane making a “very loud strange noise” on take-off that they had not heard before.
The flight was bound for Malaga in Spain. On departure from Southend Airport, the plane collided with a bird and the left-hand engine was damaged.
The experienced Captain quickly announced that crew members return to their seats because the bird strike had caused the plane to ‘suffer from high vibrations’, according to passengers who were on the flight.
An easyJet spokesperson confirmed that flight EJU7008 from Southend to Malaga diverted to Gatwick due to a bird strike shortly after take-off.
They added: “The pilot took this decision in line with our procedures and performed a routine landing. Emergency services attended the aircraft on arrival as a precaution measure only.
“Whilst this is outside of our control, we would like to apologise for any inconvenience experienced and thank passengers for their patience and understanding. The safety of passengers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority.”
The passengers were eventually taken by bus to Luton Airport, where a spare easyJet plane took them to Malaga.
One of the passengers, Luke Simmonds, said: “We landed at London Gatwick with fire engines following us along the runway and stationed all around. We had to park on a remote stand while the fire service checked the engine and then we waited.
“There was a significant delay while engineers and the pilots checked the engine. The captain announced it was damaged and the plane couldn’t fly today. We waited about another hour and half and eventually got buses back to the terminal.
“I can’t fault the crew at all. When we were delayed on the ground they came around with water and even did cockpit visits for the kids.”