A Tui holiday flight from Cardiff to Cyprus was forced to divert to Birmingham Airport after passengers reported hearing a loud rumble and detecting a burning smell shortly after take-off. The Boeing 737 aircraft, operated by Tui as flight TOM6754, had departed Cardiff Airport at around 16:30 BST on Monday, September 28.
Sudden Diversion Sparks Panic Among Passengers
Onboard passenger Dave Preece from Tycroes, Carmarthenshire, said there was immediate unease when the left-hand side of the plane began to vibrate following its take off from Cardiff.
The 56-year-old recalled:
“There was silence, people looking at each other and thinking, ‘what’s going on here.’ When the captain later said there had been engine failure, people were in shock,”
Initially, the flight that took off from Cardiff circled over Swansea Bay at an altitude of about 3,000 feet before climbing higher and rerouting towards the West Midlands.
Passengers reported spotting landmarks such as Tata Steel’s Port Talbot works from their windows, heightening their confusion.
Before making a precautionary landing in Birmingham Airport around 17:30 BST, the plane carried out a series of orbits to burn fuel.
As the Tui aircraft touched down, emergency services, including four fire appliances, were on standby. Though the diversion caused some disruption to other airport operations, all passengers and crew disembarked safely.
Tui Airline Confirms Bird Strike, Not Engine Failure
Later, Tui clarified that there had been no engine failure, attributing the incident instead to a bird strike soon after the take-off from Cardiff.
A spokesperson confirmed:
“The diversion was a precautionary routine procedure.”
In a statement issued by Cardiff Airport, the officials emphasised that passenger safety remained their “number one priority.”
However, the lack of immediate clarity created considerable stress among the passengers.
Preece added:
“The scariest part was not knowing. There was a feeling something had gone wrong, but no explanation was given at the time.”
Before returning to service, the Tui aircraft will undergo inspections, while passengers were expected to continue their journey to on an alternative flight to Cyprus.
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