Ryanair flight declares mid-air emergency over Manchester

Flight FR3445 was headed to Palma de Mallorca in Spain tonight but began circling just miles into the journey

(AFP/Getty Images)

A Ryanair flight to Majorca declared a mid-air emergency over Manchester, with some speculating it collided with a bird shortly after takeoff.

Flight FR3445 was headed to Palma de Mallorca in Spain tonight but began circling just miles into the journey.

According to flight tracking website Airlive.net, the plane declared an emergency over the city after 6pm.

The service added the emergency was due to a bird strike.

The plane has now landed at Manchester airport. It spent an hour total in the air, burning fuel as it circled around 3,500 feet over north Manchester and Rochdale.

A Ryanair spokesman said: “The flight from Manchester to Palma returned to Manchester shortly after take-off following a minor bird strike.

"The aircraft landed normally and the flight to Palma will operate as soon as possible. Ryanair apologised to affected customers for any inconvenience caused.”

Earlier this month a bird struck a passenger jet with 71 people on board leaving a large dent in its nose as it was coming in to land at Heathrow airport. The EgyptAir flight from Cairo was grounded for 21 hours after the incident before a replacement nose could be located.