Plane makes emergency landing due to bird strike

A flight from Newcastle to Cape Verde was diverted to Manchester on Tuesday (library image)

A plane made an emergency landing "as a precaution" due to a bird strike.

Tuesday morning's TUI flight TOM800 travelling from Newcastle to Sal, Cape Verde, was forced to land at Manchester Airport.

Fire crews were called, as a matter of course for all unscheduled landings, and the plane was found to have sustained some damage, the airport said.

Passengers were put on a replacement flight and TUI apologised to its customers.

The flight left Newcastle International Airport just before 09:40 BST on Tuesday, but landed in Manchester just over an hour later, at about 11:00.

Passengers were taken off the plane and waited in the departure lounge while a replacement was found, TUI said.

A spokesperson added: "We’d like to apologise to customers on flight TOM800 which diverted to Manchester Airport as a precaution following a bird strike.

"We’d like to thank customers for their patience and understanding, and hope they enjoy their holiday."