A PLANE was forced to make a dramatic emergency landing after being struck by lightning.
The EasyJet flight had been travelling from London Gatwick to Milan when the terrifying incident unfolded.
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Lightning struck an EasyJet Aircraft leaving Gatwick Airport for MilanCredit: Refer to source
EasyJet confirmed the plane safely landed back at Gatwick Credit: Alamy
It happen shortly after the plane had taken off during stormy weather.
Flight U28305 departed Gatwick at 2.22pm on Thursday, May 14, aboard an Airbus A319 registered G-EZDH.
As the aircraft climbed through dark clouds, it was struck by lightning.
Pilots continued climbing to around 16,000 feet while carrying out checks on the plane’s systems.
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They then made a decision to return to Gatwick Airport.
The jet later landed safely back on the runway.
An EasyJet spokesperson said: “Flight EZY8305 from London Gatwick to Milan yesterday afternoon returned to London Gatwick shortly after take off following a lightning strike in line with procedures.
“The aircraft is equipped to safely withstand lightning and at no point was the safety of the flight compromised.
“The pilot performed a routine landing where we provided customers with refreshments in the terminal and arranged for a replacement crew and aircraft to continue the flight to Milan later that evening.
“The safety of our customers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers’ guidelines.”
Modern passenger aircraft are specially designed to cope with lightning strikes and safely channel electrical currents away from passengers and onboard systems.
A spokesperson for Gatwick Airport said: “We can confirm the EZY8305 A319 requested an emergency landing at London Gatwick after a reported lightning strike shortly after departure yesterday (May 14).
“It returned to the airport where it landed safely.”
Earlier this month EasyJet were forced to land a plane in Kosovo – 650 miles away from its destination in Antalya, Turkey – after a boozy brawl broke out.
Exclusive footage shared with The Jattvibe shows the fracas on the flight.
EasyJet responded by telling this paper they “do not tolerate disruptive behaviour” on their flights.
