A Blue Islands aircraft which was struck by lightning – causing it to “plummet” in the sky in a terrifying ordeal which left passengers screaming and being sick – is out of service while it undergoes inspections.
Collette Bisson told Express that her fellow passengers on the early Southampton-bound journey on Saturday experienced episodes of the plane suddenly plunging in the sky after being hit by the powerful electric current on the left side of the plane’s wing.
Mrs Bisson described how, once struck, many passengers began “screaming” and others had to reach for sick bags from the sudden drops in altitude.
Despite the panic, she commended the cabin crew who “did well” to reassure passengers and handed out bottles of water.
Mrs Bisson also praised the captain for stabilising the aircraft once through the storm, where it landed in Southampton as expected.
“The rest of the journey was much smoother,” she said.
Blue Islands thanked and apologised to passengers on that flight, and those who were impacted in the days following.
The airline also confirmed to Express that the aircraft in question is now undergoing inspections by their engineering team.
A spokesperson added that “unrelated technical issues” also affected operations on other routes over the weekend, including an aircraft that had to return to Jersey as a “precaution” shortly after departing for East Midlands on Sunday.
That plane has now returned to service following an inspection, Blue Islands said.
Brief adverse weather on Sunday evening also impacted a journey from Guernsey–Southampton flight.
“We fully appreciate how frustrating and disruptive it is when travel plans are impacted, and we are sorry for the inconvenience caused,” the spokesperson added.
“We thank everyone for their patience and understanding.”