Leeds Bradford Airport flight to Lanzarote diverted to Manchester Airport amid 'suspected bird strike'

The Jet2 flight LS217, taking passengers from Leeds Bradford Airport to Lanzarote, has made an emergency landing in Manchester Airport.

The plane was due to take off from Leeds at 9:45 am, on Thursday (Mar 14), and land in Lanzarote at 2:20 pm.

However, there were reports on social media saying the Boeing 737-800, bound for the Spanish island, was diverted after declaring an emergency shortly after take off.

Flight Emergency reported on X (formerly Twitter), that the plane allegedly suffered a “Squawking 7700 emergency”.

They then stated the cause of the emergency was due to a bird strike after departure.

They posted on social media: “Flight has suffered a bird strike on the climb out of Leeds.”

Flight trackers then showed the plane circling, allegedly to burn off fuel, before making the landing.

Just after 11:30 am on Thursday (Mar 14), the Jet2 flight EXS17CY safely landed at Manchester Airport.

Jet2 told The Yorkshire Post: “Flight LS217 from Leeds Bradford to Lanzarote followed procedure and diverted to Manchester as a precautionary measure due to a suspected bird strike.

"After landing safely, the aircraft taxied to stand as normal and we are transferring customers onto a replacement aircraft which will fly them to enjoy their well-deserved holidays in Lanzarote.”