Passengers in shock after bird strike causes jet to divert

Tui jet G-TAWY, pictured here, bound for Cyprus from Cardiff was forced to divert to Birmingham after a bird strike

A holidaymaker on his way to Cyprus has described being in "shock" after the pilot announced a diversion to Birmingham due to engine failure.

After a normal take-off from Cardiff Airport, Dave Preece, 56 from Tycroes, Carmarthenshire, said passengers felt a vibration and heard a rumble from the left hand side of the plane, followed by "burning smell".

"There was silence, people looking at each other and thinking 'what is going on here'," he said.

After the plane safely landed at Birmingham, operator Tui confirmed "there was no engine failure" and that the reason for the diversion was a "bird strike after take-off".

The Boeing 737 flight TOM 6754 was climbing when the incident happened at about at 16:30 BST.

The holiday jet initially circled Swansea Bay at around 3,000 feet (900m) before climbing and heading towards the west Midlands.

Mr Preece said passengers noticed Tata Steel in the window and wondered even more about what was happening.

"There was a feeling something had gone wrong but no explanation given so for a lot of people that was the most scary part."

He said he remembers the captain making an announcement that the plane had experienced "engine failure" and was diverting to Birmingham.

"People were in shock," he said.

The aircraft burned fuel in a series of orbits, before landing at Birmingham Airport, where the passengers and crew were safely disembarked.

The plane was met on the runway by four fire appliances and other emergency vehicles, causing some delays at Birmingham before it was able to taxi to a stand.

A Tui spokesperson said: "To confirm, there was no engine failure. There was a bird strike after take-off and the diversion that followed was a precautionary routine procedure."

A spokesperson for Cardiff Airport said: "We are aware of an incident involving flight TOM6754 from Cardiff to Paphos.

"The safety of our passengers is our number one priority. The aircraft diverted to Birmingham Airport (BHX) and landed safely at approximately 17:30."