An easyJet flight was forced to return to Manchester Airport an hour after takeoff due to a bird strike.

The aircraft took off for Bilbao shortly after 2.30pm on Sunday, but returned an hour later.

Firefighters met the plane and all passengers were disembarked while a replacement aircraft was found to take them to Spain.

An easyJet spokesperson said: “EasyJet can confirm that flight EZY1877 flying from Manchester to Bilbao returned from airborne due to a bird strike during takeoff.

“The pilot returned to Manchester in line with our procedures and as a precaution only.

“Whilst this is outside of our control, we would like to apologise for any inconvenience experienced and thank passengers for their patience and understanding.”