A TUI flight from the UK to the Greek islands had to divert to make an emergency landing after a birdstrike during takeoff. Flight TOM6624 from Bournemouth to Rhodes took off at 3.04pm on Saturday and was due to land in Rhodes.
But the plane was put into an emergency holding pattern over the airport after take-off while the pilots waited for instructions. The flight, heavy with passengers bound for Greece, circled the airport for some time before being diverted to Gatwick for an engineering inspection.
TUI confirmed there had been a problem with the Boeing 737, issuing a statement that said: "We can confirm flight TOM6624 unfortunately reported a bird strike shortly after take off from Bournemouth. The aircraft therefore had to divert to Gatwick Airport for an engineering inspection, reports DorsetLive.
