A MUSSELBURGH family were caught up in a mid-air drama en route to a holiday on Lanzarote.

The TUI flight to the Canary Islands that the family were on took off from Edinburgh Airport last Thursday morning but was diverted to land at Glasgow Airport after the plane was hit by a bird.

Author Alex Brown, 55, who owns Ideal Flooring Solutions and the Bronx Boxing Gym in Tranent, and wife Monica, 52, who live on Edinburgh Road, were onboard along with their son Zander, daughter-in-law Denise, both 33, and grandchildren Evie, five, and Jude, three, of Clayknowes Way.

Mr Brown, whose comic crime thriller Hit Me is being considered as a movie, told the Courier: “It was a bit scary for all involved but everyone was happy to be safe and on the ground.”

The plane took off from Edinburgh at 6.10am and was set to arrive in Lanzarote at 10.45am local time.

Mr Brown said: “We heard a crunching sound and were then told 50 minutes later that we had to land at Glasgow Airport.

“We landed around 7am and all the emergency services met the aircraft on the runway.

“The pilot told us a bird had hit an engine and the aircraft had been damaged.

“We all got a £15 voucher which paid for a meal which was given to us in Glasgow not long after we landed.

“We were told it would be a good few hours before a replacement aircraft would arrive and we may even have to go to a hotel for the night.

“Thankfully, a plane arrived around 5.30pm.

“The staff were all very good and helpful. There were lots of children on the plane and they never really knew what was going on.

“With us all knowing there was an issue with the original flight, we were all just happy to land in Glasgow.

“We finally arrived at our hotel at midnight. This was 11 hours later than we should have arrived.

“The delay seemed not to bother us too much. My grandchildren took it in their stride and behaved amazingly.”

He added: “So it was very close to a 12-hour delay and we missed a day of our holiday.

“Many passengers had come from Glasgow to get the early 6am flight from Edinburgh so as to make the most of their first day, only to end up back in Glasgow and get to the hotel 18 hours after the original flight left.”

A TUI UK spokesperson said: “We would like to apologise to customers on board flight TOM1454 from Edinburgh to Lanzarote, which diverted to Glasgow due to the aircraft suffering a bird strike.

“We understand how frustrating delays can be and we would like to thank customers for their patience.

“The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew is our highest priority.”