Passengers on-board the plane heard a bang
Rob Currell and Cathal Ryan Reporter
21:51, 09 Feb 2026
Moment bird strikes plane
This is the “scary” moment a bird strike occurred on an EasyJet flight headed from Amsterdam to Belfast, forcing the plane to turn around.
The incident, which took place on the Airbus A320 Neo aircraft EasyJet 3052/U23052, after it departed Amsterdam Airport Schiphol on Sunday evening for Belfast was captured on video by a passenger.
In the footage, the passenger is sitting just by the wing of the plane, videoing the take off on their phone. The plane speeds up off the runway like normal, but just seconds after taking off a bang can be heard and an object seen slamming into the wing. After the bird impacted with the aircraft it diverted back to Schiphol Airport after a loop over the ocean for inspection, Belfast Live reports.
The passenger, who did not know what was going to happen after the bird struck the aeroplane, said the experience was “scary”, adding: “I am just glad we made it safely back on the ground.”
The aircraft was diverted back to Amsterdam after a bird strike(Image: Flight Radar 24)
Bird strikes are a common occurrence and a regular hazard for air travel with thousands of incidents reported around the world annually.
Following the incident, EasyJet offered an update to passengers: “We’re sorry that your flight has been returned to Amsterdam. This is because the plane needs to be inspected by our engineers following a bird strike.
“This can take between 30 minutes to two hours and we’ll keep you updated as soon as we know more. The safety of you and our crew is our highest priority and we thank you for your patience.”
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