A flight traveling from Madrid to Paris was forced to make an emergency return shortly after takeoff due to a collision with a large bird, causing damage to the aircraft and alarming the passengers.
According to Iberia Airlines, the aircraft, an Airbus A321 XLR, is a new model that had only been in service for a few weeks. It sustained damage to its nose and one of its engines during the incident that occurred on Sunday afternoon.
Reports indicated that the plane was carrying 182 passengers.
Iberia confirmed that the crew acted swiftly in accordance with safety protocols, initiating a safe return to Madrid Airport.
Videos shared online showed passengers putting on oxygen masks during the incident, along with visible damage to the front of the aircraft.
Juan Gomez, an air traffic controller in Madrid, stated in an interview with RTVE that bird strikes are relatively common.
He added, “The impact was less severe than it may appear in the images.”