A Boeing 757-200 belonging to budget carrier Jet2 suffered a bird strike today, August 10th. The aircraft had just taken off from Manchester Airport when the incident occurred. The crew then made the decision to return to Manchester but needed to burn excess fuel before landing.
Jet2’s 757 bird strike
According to a twitter post by AerohubNews (see below), a Boeing 757-200 belonging to Jet2 suffered a bird strike just after take-off at 14:58 local time. Reports indicate that strike occurred with the aircraft’s right engine after departure from Manchester’s Runway 05L.
*INCIDENT* Jet2 G-LSAN (B752) has suffered a bird strike in its right engine upon departure from Manchester’s Runway 05L. The aircraft is holding nearby to burn excess fuel before returning. Extent of the damage is at present unknown pic.twitter.com/Qf5ONRu3Rh
— AerohubNews (@AerohubNews) August 10, 2020
Due to the severity of the bird strike, the crew made the decision to return to Manchester Airport but was overweight due to its fuel load. As a result, the 757 was sent into a holding pattern nearby in order to burn off excess fuel before returning. According to flight-tracker FlightRadar24.com, it appears that the jet made three large loops over the western portion of Manchester and its outlying area.
With a flight time of just under half an hour, the aircraft landed back at Manchester Airport safely at 15:25 local time.
Aircraft details and background
The aircraft was a Boeing 757-200 registered as G-LSAN and is powered by two Rolls-Royce RB211 engines. According to Airfleets.net, G-LSAN is a 26.4-year-old aircraft configured in an all-economy layout to accommodate 235 passengers.
The aircraft has had a diverse history flying with numerous airlines. Its first operator was actually Transavia back in 1994. After that, it flew for multiple small airlines as well as Avianca, before joining Jet2.
About the Jet2 fleet
Jet2 (or technically Jet2.com) is the UK’s third-largest airline and has bases at nine UK airports. The budget carrier flys to over 82 destinations across Europe and beyond.
The airline’s first flight was in 2003, and it now has a fleet of over 110 aircraft. These aircraft include:
- An Airbus A321
- Boeing 737-300s
- Boeing 737-800s
- and Boeing 757-200s
Almost two weeks ago, after getting back into the air, the low-cost airline had to cancel flights due to a warning by the British Government against non-essential travel to Spain. The news was extremely disappointing for the airline, which has capitalized on flying sun-starved Brits south for vacation. Those already in Spain were instructed to pack their bags and come home early before flights end.
Before this latest Governmental policy change, the airline’s CEO was optimistic about returning to the skies, saying:
“We have been saying for some time that the sun will shine again and that when it does, we will be there to take customers away on their well-deserved holidays,” –Steve Heapy, CEO, Jet2.
Simple Flying contacted Jet2 seeking comment or official statement regarding the incident. Furthermore, with data on flight tracking services unclear about the flight’s destination, we are also seeking this information from the airline.