British Airways Plane Struck by Lightning, Still Makes It to India With 'More Than 40' Holes
A British Airways plane was struck by lightning shortly after taking off from Heathrow on July 22. Despite the incident, flight BA-35 was still able to complete its nine-hour flight to India even after the damage reportedly opened up "more than 40" holes on the aircraft.
Flight BA-35, a non-stop flight from London to the city of Chennai in eastern India, was struck by lightning shortly after it took to the air from Heathrow Airport, as the Telegraph reports.
Despite the lightning strike, the crew was still able to complete the 5,121-mile flight to reach the airport in Chennai only 45 minutes behind schedule, as the International Business Times noted. The aircraft landed at 4:17 a.m. local time on July 23, when it was grounded afterward for testing.
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Inspection done on the Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner revealed that the plane has sustained "between 42 and 46 holes," according to reports from the Tamil Nadu airport. As further tests were being done on the aircraft, it was grounded from completing its scheduled return flight a day later.
The aircraft was finally able to fly back to the United Kingdom on July 29, with no passengers on board. After a thorough reexamination at Heathrow, the plane is now back on active duty.
British Airways, for its part, has not confirmed early reports on the damage the lightning strike has done to their aircraft. The carrier said that the passengers were at no point at risk during the July 22 flight to Chenna and that it "does not recognise the description of the damage."
Referring to the incident as a technical matter, a representative from the airline offered a statement. "We apologised to customers and rebooked them onto alternative services after our flight from Chennai to London was cancelled on Sunday following a technical issue," the spokesperson said.
"The aircraft was inspected by our highly qualified engineers before returning to service. The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our priority," the British Airways representative added.
