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Pigeons: not to be messed with, or flown into. Denis Omelchenko via Shutterstock

Coo

Pigeons force Aer Lingus flight to abandon trip to London

Flight EI168 left Dublin at 3pm – but was back after 15 minutes after striking a flock of birds.

AN AER LINGUS flight from Dublin to London was forced to turn back to Dublin shortly after takeoff this afternoon – after hitting a flock of pigeons.

Flight EI168, bound for Heathrow, left for London shortly after 3pm – but was back on the tarmac in Dublin little over 15 minutes later after striking the birds on its ascent.

The flight returned to Dublin as a safety precaution, and it is understood that no passengers were injured.

The flight has since been cancelled, with passengers being accommodated on subsequent flights.

Some subsequent Aer Lingus flights to Heathrow and Gatwick have been disrupted as a result.

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Gavan Reilly

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