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An Iberia Airbus A321XLR bound for Paris was forced to return to Madrid after a bird strike shortly after takeoff. The incident occurred as the aircraft, registered EC-OOJ, was climbing out of Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport on flight IB579 to Orly Airport. The plane landed safely back in Madrid, but photos show significant damage to its nose cone.
According to an Iberia spokesperson, "was struck by a large bird on the front section of the aircraft and on one of its engines." This led the crew to divert back to Madrid. The airline stated: "In accordance with the established safety protocols for such situations, the Captain requested authorization to return to the departure airport, where the aircraft landed safely. The entire flight crew, including pilots and cabin crew, acted with the utmost professionalism to manage the situation and care for the passengers."
Tracking data indicates that EC-OOJ departed runway 36L at 16:42 local time and reached about 7,000 feet before turning back. It touched down in Madrid at 17:05. The impact resulted in enough structural damage that Iberia took the aircraft out of service.
