Description
I'm sure you've heard of a bird strike, maybe you've even seen one happen. But I'd bet you haven't heard of a 'balloon strike'! That's what we nearly witnessed in this video as a TUI Boeing 737 MAX 8 took off from runway 23L at Manchester Airport and narrowly avoided a toy helium balloon. This video shows the whole incident from start to finish, from ATC first spotting the balloon and holding departures, to the TUI pilots reporting the sighting during takeoff and a visual on the balloon near the runway. 🛫 As always, it's reassuring to hear how seriously ATC and the airport operations take these situations and how professionally it's handled. Kudos to everyone involved for keeping the traveling passengers safe. 👏
🛬✈️🎥📻🙌👍💪🙏😀😆😍💨
Video filmed at Manchester Airport on 14th October 2025. 🌍
👇 VIDEO CHAPTERS 👇
00:00 Departures held as balloon spotted drifting across airport
01:33 Ops looking for the balloon
03:00 Departures resume after balloon no longer a threat
04:11 TUI 737 MAX 8 Near Miss with Balloon
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➮ EQUIPMENT USED 🎥📡
○ Camera: Sony RX-10IV
○ Microphone: Rode Videomic Pro Plus & Windshield
○ ATC: Uniden UBC125XLT
○ Tripod: Cayer BV30L
○ Editing Software: Adobe Premiere Pro 2020
Outro Music 🎵
Chillout by AudioCoffee | https://www.audiocoffee.net/
Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/
Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
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Video Usage:
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