Air Malta plane struck by lightning in transit

An Air Malta aeroplane was struck by lightning as it approached the Catania airport earlier today.

In a statement, Air Malta said that no one was injured in the incident and that the aircraft landed safely in Catania.

“It is not uncommon in commercial aviation for aircraft to be struck by lightning,” Air Malta’s chief operations officer Silvio Falzon said. “Aircraft are designed for this eventuality and Air Malta crews are specially trained to handle these situations. Passengers, crew and aircraft were never in any danger, and standard procedure entailed that the aircraft is checked once on ground and before further flight.”

Air Malta’s flight KM624 to Milan was diverted to Catania to take a team of engineers and parts to service the aircraft that had been struck by lightning, service the aircraft and certify it fir for flight. The aircraft is currently being repaired by the airline’s engineers.

As a consequence of this incident, Air Malta suffered some delays today but the airline expects to have the schedule back on track tonight.

The airline said that while the programme for the coming days is secured, it has prepared a backup plan for wet lease capacity should the need arise.

“We give utmost importance to the safety and wellbeing of its clients and crew and apologised to its clients for any inconvenience caused by circumstances beyond its control.”