Air Force plane makes emergency landing after Montijo bird strike

An aeroplane of the Portuguese Air Force made an emergency landing at the Montijo air base after colliding with a bird while taking off.

The incident occurred on Tuesday morning, there are no reports of anyone being hurt.

The aeroplane was inspected after landing and no mechanical damage was reported after the impact.

Environmental groups have criticised the decision to choose Montijo as the location for Lisbon’s overspill airport, due to the impact on the environment, much of which is the ‘Parque Natural do Tejo Internacional,’ special protection zone famed as an area rich in bird life

Birds use the reserve to nest or as a migratory stop-off area. This habitat houses more than 200,000 birds belonging to about 50 species.