A Thomson flight from Cardiff to Egypt was forced to divert to Gatwick after it hit a flock of seagulls.
The pilot decided to land the aircraft after the crew detected a smell like ‘roast chicken’.
Passengers on board the Thomson Airways flight to Sharm El Sheikh said they were told an hour into their journey they were being grounded, said the Daily Mail.
One passenger told the newspaper that the aircraft had gone as far as Basle in Switzerland when the pilot announced the flight was returning to the UK.
A spokesman from Thomson said the diversion was a precautionary measure and passengers continued their trip on an alternative aircraft.
"We would like to reassure customers that issues of this nature are very rare," said the company, in a statement.
Last week, a flight had to be grounded after it hit a massive swarm of bees.
