Ryanair flight struck by lightning diverts to Glasgow

A Ryanair holiday flight from Edinburgh to Alicante had to divert to Glasgow Airport after the plane was struck by lightning.

The aircraft was hit shortly after it took off from Edinburgh Airport on Tuesday at around 18.15.

According to the BBC, the airline apologised for the incident and said the flight followed procedure and was diverted to the nearest airport - Glasgow.

It continued on its journey after being given the all-clear by engineers.

A spokesman for Ryanair told Herald Scotland: "A Ryanair flight from Edinburgh to Alicante was struck by lightning shortly after take-off from Edinburgh this evening and following Ryanair procedure, diverted into the nearest available airport, where Ryanair engineers inspected the aircraft and cleared it to return to service, departing for Alicante a short time later.

"Ryanair sincerely apologises to passengers affected by this short delay, however the safety of our passengers, crew and aircraft is our number one priority."

Back in June, a plane heading to West Palm Beach, Florida, was struck by lightning and had to make an emergency landing at Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey.

The Palm Beach Post reports that passengers on the flight from Boston experienced severe turbulence and feared for their lives when the captain announced that they had lost some power.

In January, a Turkish Airlines plane carrying 114 people made an emergency landing when it caught fire after being struck by lightning.

According to reports from the Associated Press, the aircraft was travelling from Istanbul. Its right engine caught fire as it was preparing to land at Izmir Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport, and one passenger managed to capture the flames on video.

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