A MAN has praised Easyjet pilots for keeping calm after the plane he was travelling in was struck by lightning.
Gordon Ritchie was travelling from Edinburgh to Milan on business on Friday, June 30, when the plane was caught up in a lightning storm, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Turin.
It is understood the plane was struck by lightning, with Ritchie describing hearing a loud bang before the lights in the plane went out.
He told the Scotsman: “The aircraft was struck by lightning and there was an electrical failure.
“There was a real bang and all the lights, like the seatbelt signs, went off.
“I knew something had gone wrong from that sound - it sounded strange and everyone was really startled.
“People knew something had happened, but the crew didn’t panic.”
Ritchie said that while the pilots were not able to communicate directly to the passengers after the incident, a steward informed passengers that they were going to Turin instead of Milan.
He added: “They ended up diverting us to Turin which is 120 miles away.
“When we got off the aircraft I asked them if we got hit by lightning and if it was serious, and I was told ‘yes’.
“They said the engineers needed to come and take a look at the plane before they could do anything with it.
“The pilots did a really good job - they looked pretty white afterwards. It was scary but no one was injured and Easyjet dealt with it really well.”
An Easyjet spokesperson said: “We can confirm that flight EJU3834 from Edinburgh to Milan on June 30 diverted to Turin following a lightning strike, as a precaution and in line with procedures.
“The aircraft is equipped to safely withstand lightning and at no point was the safety of the flight compromised.
"The aircraft landed routinely in Turin and we arranged for passengers to continue their journey to Milan by coach.
"The safety of passengers and crew is Easyjet’s highest priority.”
