Aer Lingus Flight EI123 from Dublin to Chicago has now arrived back in Dublin. At 11.12 (local time), the Airbus A330-300 took off from the North runway but had to make a U-turn for an emergency landing. Only 15 minutes later, the 16-year-old aircraft (registration EI-EIK) made a landing on the South runway at Dublin Airport.
On takeoff, the plane collided with a group of pigeons, which resulted in a bird strike in the number 2 engine.
My #AerLingus flight EI123 from Dublin to Chicago just had a bird strike in number 2 engine on takeoff. Captain says it was a flock of pigeons.
— Irish Dave (@iamirishdave) April 13, 2023
Major vibration after takeoff lead to an emergency landing back in Dublin. Happened today April 13 at 12pm.
#7700 #emergencylanding pic.twitter.com/nx3g3wW4RW
Fire engines arrived to meet the aircraft, and it was inspected. However, it was determined that EI-EIK was no longer in good enough condition to continue the flight, and it was replaced by an Airbus A330-300 registration EI-EIM, which arrived in Chicago after a delay of nearly 7.5 hours.