British Airways plane struck by lightning while flying over Skiathos

Horror in the air: a British Airways plane was struck by a lightning while flying over the airport of the island of Skiathos on Monday. Plane landed safe in Athens, all passengers recovered from the shock, aircraft is undergoing inspection on possible damages.

The airplane was flying from London to Skiathos.

45 passengers on Flight ΖΑ 2225 of British Airways became nervous and frightened when they saw a bright flash and heard a loud bang. Those sitting at the windows had seen a lighting ‘tearing’ apart the heavy and grey clouds. At the same time, a strong rainfall was ‘whipping’ the plane.

It was a few minutes before the pilot started the landing process when a lightning stroke the plane.

Within seconds the holiday flight with British and Greek passengers turned into a nightmare.

According to local newspaper Taxydromos, the pilot communicated with the control tower at the Skiathos airport and informed the staff that the plane was struck by a lightning and the plane was in trouble.

“At that point, the pilot did not have a clear picture of whether the airplane had suffered external damages,” the newspaper writes adding that following the protocol  for similar incidents and having conducted all possible checks, “he decided to not take any risk and to land the plane at the Eleftherios Venizelos airport in Athens.”

At the same time, the pilot informed the passengers about the incident. “We were struck by a lightning. There is no need to worry. The plane is robust, controlled and certified. We will land in Athens,” the pilot reportedly said.

His calm and determined voice calmed down the passengers, Taxydromos stresses. However, they were ultimately relieved when the plane wheels touched the ground of the airport in Athens.

Landing in safety was accompanied by the warm applaud by the passengers.

The British Airways took care of the passengers’ accommodation and meals. They continued their way to Skiathos with other flights on Tuesday morning.

According to newspaper information, the lightning caused some damages that need to be repaired. It will undergo a thorough technical inspection before it takes off again.

The plane left London at 7:10 am local time, it was scheduled to land on Skiathos at 12:15 Monday noon. It landed in Athens at 13:00.

Low barometric Medusa has had Greece in general and Skiathos and other Sporades islands in its grip on Monday. Weather improvement is expected as of Tuesday afternoon.