An emergency was declared on a London-bound flight after the plane was struck by a bird during take-off.
The easyJet service bound for London Gatwick was forced to return to Inverness Airport shortly after take-off on Thursday afternoon after the bird hit the aircraft's engine.
Fire crews were on standby as a precaution when the plane landed.
A spokeswoman for the airline said: "easyJet can confirm that flight EZY864 from Inverness to London Gatwick returned from airborne due to a bird strike during take-off.
"The pilot returned to Inverness in line with our procedures and as a precaution only.
"All passengers disembarked normally and easyJet is positioning in a replacement aircraft to fly passengers to Gatwick.
"Passengers are being provided with information and refreshment vouchers in the terminal.
"We would like to apologise for any inconvenience as a result of the delay.
"The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew is always easyJet's highest priority."
