Overview

• Flight IB579 struck a large bird minutes after departing Madrid-Barajas on August 3, triggering emergency protocols and a return to runway 32L under fire-crew standby.
• All 182 passengers and crew disembarked unharmed despite significant damage to the nose cone and right engine and smoke in the cabin that led to oxygen-mask deployment.
• Iberia declared the Airbus A321XLR out of service pending structural repairs and operated recovery flight IB0041 that evening to rebook affected travelers to Paris-Orly.
• Controladores Aéreos de España credited the rapid coordination among air traffic control, the flight crew and emergency responders for ensuring a safe diversion.
• An April alert from the Real Aero Club of Spain on rising vulture populations has intensified calls to bolster wildlife management around Spanish airports.