A Tui flight due to travel from Cardiff to Cyprus was forced to make an emergency landing at Birmingham after a bird struck its engine shortly after take-off.
The incident occurred at 4.30pm on Sunday after the flight, bound for Paphos, declared an emergency following an engine failure, according to the Independent.
Birmingham Airport had to suspend its operations while emergency services saw to the Boeing 737 aircraft.
After the incident occurred, the pilot circled Swansea Bay at around 3,000 feet, before ascending to 12,000 feet to travel towards the West Midlands for an emergency landing.
Passengers and crew safely disembarked after the aircraft landed at 5.30pm.
A holidaymaker told BBC passengers were left in “shock” after the incident and noticed Tata Steel in the window.
Dave Preece, 56, from Tycroes, Carmarthenshire, told the BBC: “There was a feeling something had gone wrong but no explanation given so for a lot of people that was the most scary part.”
“People were in shock,” he added.
Mr Preece said the captain made an announcement informing passengers the plane experienced an “engine failure” and was making an emergency landing in Birmingham.
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 5.30pm.”
