EasyJet declares mid-air emergency after chicken strike close to Bristol Airport

Passengers on easyJet flight U22708 endured a tense diversion after an emergency announcement warned that a bird strike incident sparked a chain of events that left the plane running low on fuel

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An easyJet plane experienced a fuel emergency after a bird strike incident at a UK airport. Passengers on board flight U22708 endured a tense diversion after an emergency tannoy announcement was made.

The Airbus A320 departed Madrid on Sunday evening for what should have been a standard two-hour flight to the West Country. The aircraft was scheduled to land in Bristol at 10pm on January 25. However, as the flight approached its destination, the airport was forced to temporarily suspend all runway operations, according to AirLive.

The publication said the closure was prompted by a bird strike incident involving another aircraft, which required a full runway inspection to clear debris and ensure the safety of subsequent landings.

Meanwhile, the A320 entered a holding pattern which began to deplete its fuel reserves. After circling for several minutes without a clear window to land at the blocked airport, the flight crew declared a Pan-Pan emergency—later upgraded to a full Squawk 7700 emergency—to notify air traffic control of their critically low fuel status.

The plane was then immediately diverted to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, touching down safely at 10.57pm. The plane was refuelled and passengers were then taken on to Bristol, landing at 12.12am on Monday (January 28) two hours behind schedule.

The news comes after an Emirates flight from Dubai was forced to land at Edinburgh Airport after declaring an in-flight emergency yesterday (January 27). Flight EK35 was scheduled to land in Newcastle but was redirected to the Scottish capital.

The Boeing 777 made several circles above Newcastle and Sunderland before the pilot initiated an emergency procedure known as squawking 7700. Data from the flight tracking app, FlightRadar24, seemed to show the plane attempting to land at Newcastle Airport twice before performing a ‘go-around’ – a procedure where pilots abort a landing attempt, circle back and try again.

The flight then headed north before safely landing at Edinburgh Airport.

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