EasyJet flight from Glasgow to Southampton declares a mid-air emergency and diverts to Liverpool after a bird strike

Flight EZY415 was cruising at around 24,000ft over Lancashire when the crew issued the 7700 emergency squawk on Sunday morning. The Airbus A319 then circled above Liverpool and descended to land safely at Liverpool John Lennon Airport. EasyJet blamed a bird strike after take-off. The airline said it was arranging a replacement aircraft to fly passengers on to Southampton.

Code 7700 signals a general emergency, from a technical fault to a medical crisis.

EasyJet apologised, insisting the incident was 'outside of our control'.

It comes two weeks after BA flight BA295 plunged from 37,000ft over Ireland.