Bird strike forces Edinburgh-bound easyJet flight from Geneva to land minutes after take-off

The Airbus A320-214, which had been due to leave the Swiss city at 5.15pm on Sunday, June 15, left Geneva at 6.06pm and declared a general emergency shortly after take off. The plane then circled the local area including Lake Geneva, before returning to the departure airport at 6.30pm.

A note on the easyJet live flight tracker said: “We’re sorry that your flight has been cancelled. This is due to a bird strike that led to an aircraft default that could not be resolved.

“We understand that this will be disappointing news and we want to make it as easy as possible for you to make new plans, so here’s everything you need to know about what to do next.

“The disruption to your flight is outside of our control and is considered to be an extraordinary circumstance.”

An easyJet flight travelling from Geneva to Edinburgh Airport was forced to return to the Swiss city minutes after take-off after a general emergency onboard. | AFP via Getty Images

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An earlier message said: “We're sorry your plane has returned to its gate. This is because of a bird strike that needs to be inspected by our engineers. The safety of you and our crew is our highest priority and we thank you for your patience while we complete the necessary checks.”

A spokesperson for easyJet told the Evening News: “We can confirm that flight EZY3294 from Geneva to Edinburgh on June 15 was cancelled due to a bird strike shortly after take-off. The pilot took the decision to return to Geneva in line with our procedures and performed a routine landing.

“Emergency services attended the aircraft on arrival as a precautionary measure only and all passengers disembarked normally into the terminal.

“While this was outside of our control, we are sorry for the inconvenience this will have caused and we did all we could to minimise the impact for our customers. We provided options to rebook onto the next available flight or receive a refund, as well as hotel accommodation and meals for those who required them.

“The safety of our customers and crew is easyJet's highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers’ guidelines.”