A Bristol-bound EasyJet flight was forced to land 180 miles away from its destination after a fuel emergency caused by a bird strike.
Passengers aboard the service from Madrid experienced a stressful journey when their aircraft was forced to declare an emergency and divert to Liverpool.
Passengers aboard Flight U22708 from Madrid had been scheduled to touch down at Bristol Airport at 10pm on Sunday following a routine two-hour journey from the Spanish capital.
However, the situation changed dramatically when the flight was forced to declare an emergency and divert to Liverpool, with Bristol Airport halting all runway activity due to a separate bird strike incident.
The unexpected closure left the easyJet aircraft circling in the skies, ultimately depleting its fuel to dangerously low levels and forcing pilots to seek an alternative landing site 180 miles away.
The runway shutdown stemmed from a collision between a bird and a different aircraft operating at Bristol Airport.
Such incidents, where airborne wildlife strikes a moving plane, pose significant safety risks and require thorough investigation before normal operations can resume.
Ground crews needed to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the runway surface to locate and remove any debris left behind by the collision.
A Bristol-bound EasyJet flight was forced to land 180 miles away from its destination after a fuel emergency caused by a bird strike on Sunday evening
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PAThis safety protocol meant that incoming flights, including the easyJet service from Madrid, had no clear opportunity to land while the inspection was underway.
The aircraft was left with little choice but to enter a holding pattern as staff assessed the situation below.
As the easyJet jet continued circling without a landing slot becoming available, its fuel reserves dropped to critical levels.
The flight crew initially issued a Pan-Pan emergency call to air traffic control, alerting them to the deteriorating situation.
The flight was diverted to Liverpool John Lennon Airport for a fuel emergency
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GETTYThis was subsequently escalated to the internationally recognised distress signal indicating a general emergency: Squawk 7700.
The code ensured the aircraft received priority handling from controllers as pilots sought an immediate alternative destination.
Under these emergency protocols, the plane was redirected to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, located approximately 180 miles from Bristol.
The aircraft touched down safely at the Merseyside airport at 10.57pm.
Following the emergency landing, the aircraft took on additional fuel at Liverpool before completing its journey to the original destination.
According to aviation news network Airlive, the easyJet flight finally arrived at Bristol Airport at 12.12am on Monday morning.
This meant passengers reached their intended destination more than two hours after the scheduled 10pm arrival time.
Despite the tense circumstances and mid-air emergency declaration, all those on board landed without incident at both Liverpool and subsequently Bristol.