An IndiGo flight carrying 110 people landed safely at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow on Wednesday after being struck by lightning during its approach, with visible damage later found on the aircraft’s nose. None of the 104 passengers or six crew members was injured.
Flight 6E925 was operating from Patna to Lucknow when the lightning strike occurred. The Airbus A320-251N touched down at about 4.04 pm, approximately eight minutes ahead of its scheduled arrival at 4.12 pm.
According to airport sources cited by the Economic Times, the damage was not immediately apparent while the aircraft was airborne. The pilots informed Air Traffic Control about the lightning strike as a precaution, although they were not certain during the flight whether the aircraft had sustained significant damage.
The aircraft, which bears the registration VT-IQZ, was inspected after it cleared the runway and reached its designated parking bay. The inspection identified damage to the nose radome, the protective structure at the front of the aircraft that houses and shields its weather radar.
The visible damage was limited to the radome, according to a person familiar with the matter cited in the report. The aircraft’s safe landing meant that the incident did not cause injuries among passengers or crew members.
Lightning strikes involving aircraft can occur when flights operate in or near thunderstorms. Commercial aircraft are designed with systems and structures intended to withstand such events, but suspected strikes require post-flight inspections to identify possible damage that may not be visible from inside the aircraft or during approach.
The incident also underlined the role of communication between flight crews and Air Traffic Control during abnormal situations. By reporting the suspected strike before landing, the pilots enabled airport personnel to flag the aircraft for inspection after it reached its parking position.
The extent of any additional damage, if found during further technical checks, was not stated in the report. The aircraft’s inspection and subsequent operational status will determine the next steps for the airline.
