Aeronautical sources told Lusa news agency that the accident did not cause major damage to the engine, and the plane has already returned to Lisbon.

This is the second accident of this type in less than a month at João Paulo II airport, in Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel.

On January 6, a SATA Airbus A320 collided with a “significant flock” of seagulls during take-off in Ponta Delgada, forcing the aircraft to declare an emergency and return to the airport, reporting problems with both engines.

According to several aeronautical sources, the A320, bound for Lisbon, took off at 13:40 from João Paulo II Airport, but “immediately after take-off declared an emergency due to the collision with a significant flock of seagulls”, with the aircraft continuing on to land, which happened safely, 18 minutes later, “reporting problems in both engines”.

The SATA plane only became operational again on January 15th.

At the time, aviation sources warned that air traffic controllers were unable to see the entire Ponta Delgada runway, as the fire station that serves the airport was built in front of the control tower.

Air traffic controllers can only see the beginning and end of the runway, with the rest of it visible only through a CCTV system, which, according to these sources, does not allow air traffic controllers to adequately observe the possible presence of birds, “which significantly reduced the safety of the operation”.

When asked about this situation, the Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Aircraft and Railway Accidents emphasises that “the process of detecting, controlling and mitigating wildlife risks at aerodromes is ensured by several sources of information in which the ATC [controller [air] is an important part”.