Horror as SriLankan Airlines flight struck by lightning minutes after take-off

A flight carrying 207 passengers and 16 crew members has been struck by lightning mid air. Passengers on the SriLankan Airlines flight UL606, bound for Sydney, heard a loud bang and saw a brief flash of flame from one of the engines when the incident happened on Wednesday.

Pilots quickly stabilised the aircraft before deciding to turn back as a precaution. The Airbus landed safely at Bandaranaike International Airport at around 1:40am, with passengers remaining onboard while next steps were arranged.

SriLankan Airlines later issued a statement describing the event as an “operational incident amid adverse weather”. It added that safety procedures were followed and no injuries were recorded.

The airline also confirmed that a replacement aircraft departed Colombo for Sydney at 5:51am the following day.

Authorities said an engine on the Airbus sustained minor damage in the lighting strike but posed no further risk.

The damaged aircraft was sent to the airline’s engineering hangar for further inspection and repairs.

Witnesses to the mid-air incident said crew members handled the situation calmly and reassured passengers throughout.

SriLankan Airlines said passenger safety remains its “highest priority” and pledged to continue enforcing strict safety measures across its operations.

While dramatic, lightning strikes on aircraft rarely cause serious incidents because of modern engineering safeguards.