Horror as SriLankan Airlines flight struck by lightning minutes after take-off | World | News

Lightning struck the plane with 207 passengers and 16 crew on board. Passengers on SriLankan Airlines flight UL606, bound for Sydney, heard a loud explosion and saw a brief flash of flame from one of the engines when the incident occurred on Wednesday.

The pilots quickly stabilized the aircraft before deciding to turn back as a precaution. The Airbus landed safely at Bandaranaike International Airport around 01.40am and passengers remained on board while the next steps were prepared.

SriLankan Airlines later issued a statement describing the incident as “an operational incident in adverse weather conditions”. He added that safety procedures were followed and no injuries were recorded.

The airline also confirmed that the replacement aircraft departed Colombo for Sydney at 5.51am the next day.

Officials said the Airbus’ engine suffered minor damage during the lightning strike but did not pose any other risk.

The damaged aircraft was sent to the airline’s engineering hangar for further inspection and repairs.

Witnesses to the mid-air incident said crew members handled the situation calmly and reassured passengers.

SriLankan Airlines said passenger safety remains its “highest priority” and vowed to continue implementing stringent safety measures in its operations.

Although dramatic, lightning strikes on aircraft rarely cause serious incidents due to modern engineering measures.