BENGALURU: In a rare incident, an AirAsia India flight was struck by lightning while on its way from Bengaluru to Hyderabad on Tuesday morning. As a result, the flight was forced to return to the Kempegowda International Airport. None of the passengers on board the flight were hurt. But the aircraft appears to have suffered minor damages.
The Airbus A320 took off from Bengaluru airport at 7.39 am. It had 91 passengers on board.
According to an airline spokesperson, "AirAsia India flight I5-1576, operating from Bengaluru to Hyderabad, returned to Bengaluru due to air traffic congestion caused by inclement weather."
An inspection by the airline later revealed that the aircraft had encountered a lightning strike.
"Lighting strikes although rare, do occur and aircraft are safeguarded against strikes which do not pose a risk. The safety of guests and the aircraft remained intact at all points," the spokesperson said.
A passenger Dr Arun Mavaji had tweeted that after returning to Bengaluru and refuelling, airline staff realised the aircraft was damaged.
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AirAsia responded that a change in aircraft was being made to carry the passengers.
Another flyer Rudrani tweeted: "I5 1576 was diverted back to Bengaluru from Hyd on the pretext of refueling. After landing at Bengaluru airport, we are now told that there is technical issue and that there might be aircraft change. This is becoming hilarious." He was critical about the different reasons given for the incident by the "clueless" airline crew.
The airport operator, BIAL, did not want to comment on the issue