A TUI flight from Newcastle Airport to Cape Verde was forced to divert after a "bird strike" incident shortly after take off this morning.
The flight, TOM800, had left Newcastle International Airport at 9.38am on Tuesday, bound for Espargos Airport, the main airport serving the Cape Verde islands off the coast of West Africa. Following the suspected bird strike event, the aircraft circled near Liverpool before making a safe landing at Manchester Airport.
Officials at Manchester Airport confirmed that passengers were allowed to disembark and wait in the departure lounge. It's understood the plane sustained some damage.
A replacement aircraft was arranged, departing Manchester at 11.50am, which meant travellers from the North East were set to reach their holiday destination just after 7pm on Tuesday. This marks the second time this year that flight TOM800 has had to make an unscheduled landing, in February, the Boeing 737 Max 8 had to cut short its journey to Cape Verde due to a technical issue.
In response to the incident, a TUI spokesperson expressed regret: "We'd like to apologise to customers on flight TOM800 which diverted to Manchester Airport as a precaution following a bird strike. Another TUI aircraft was sourced and the flight has now departed Manchester Airport and is on route to Sal, Cape Verde. We'd like to thank customers for their patience and understanding, and hope they enjoy their holiday."
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