TUI Airways jet forced to make emergency landing at Gatwick after hitting two swans

A TUI Airways jet flying from London to Cape Verde was forced to make an emergency landing after it collided with two swans. Photo / Getty Images

A TUI Airways service heading to Cape Verde had to abandon flight almost immediately after striking birds.

A Boeing 737 was forced to make an emergency landing at London Gatwick Airport after crashing into two swans.

The aircraft, TUI service BY432 to the island of Cape Verde, was forced to abandon the flight almost immediately after striking the birds.

Pictures of the aircraft, registered G-TUMP, show bloodstains over both the co-pilots’ windscreen as well as further marks and impact damage to the Boeing’s nose cone.

A view from inside the flight deck shows that the windscreens, designed to withstand high-speed impacts with birds, were undamaged apart from the stains.

Nobody was injured in Wednesday’s bird strike incident. The pilots entered a holding pattern over Sussex to burn off excess fuel and bring the aeroplane down to a safe landing weight.

TUI #uk B737 MAX 8, registration G-TUMP, suffered a severe bird strike involving #swans during takeoff from runway 26L...

Posted by Global Aviation Spotters - Tunisia HQ on Friday 7 February 2025

A TUI spokesman said the 150 passengers aboard the flight took off for Cape Verde about three hours later on a new aircraft, denying previous reports that a “mayday” broadcast was made.

Bird strikes are a routine part of airline operations. All modern airliners are designed to withstand bird strikes but in some cases they can prove catastrophic.

In 2009, a US Airways Airbus A320 struck a flock of birds shortly after taking off from New York’s LaGuardia Airport. After both engines lost power, Captain “Sully” Sullenberger landed the aircraft in the Hudson River without fatalities.