easyJet flight to Turkey declares emergency shortly after take off

An easyJet flight declared an emergency shortly after taking off from a UK airport. The aircraft, flight number EZY18KP, left Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) at 4.25pm today, Wednesday, en route to Bodrum in Turkey. However, Flightradar24, a flight tracking service, reported that the flight was "squawking 7700 shortly after take off from Liverpool". Squawking 7700 is the universal code used by aircraft to signal a general emergency to air traffic control.

According to Royal Air Force guidelines, the 7700 code is transmitted during a "general emergency", which could indicate any type of issue. As per Flightradar24, the flight circled around the UK before returning to Liverpool's airport just before 5pm. The plane was airborne for approximately 30 minutes before it returned to LJLA. An easyJet spokesperson has since revealed that the aircraft experienced a bird strike shortly after take-off.

A bird strike refers to when an aircraft collides with a bird while in the sky. This can cause significant damage and pose serious risks to flights.

A spokesperson from easyJet told the Daily Express: "Our flight from Liverpool to Bodrum this evening has been delayed due to experiencing a bird strike shortly after take-off. The pilot returned to Liverpool in line with our procedures and performed a routine landing where it will be inspected by engineers.

"The safety of its passengers and crew is easyJet's highest priority, and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers' guidelines."

Flightradar24 revealed that the aircraft, an Airbus A320-214, is 11 years old, Liverpool Echo reports.

The flight time between Liverpool and Bodrum is approximately 4 hours and 10 minutes, but the flight was only in the air for half an hour before it had to turn around.

We will continue to provide the latest updates, photos, and videos on this breaking news story.