“For a second it looked like a ball of fire on the left-hand side of the aircraft.”
22:23, 09 Jun 2026Updated 22:23, 09 Jun 2026
A Pegasus Airlines plane (stock image)(Image: Getty)
A holidaymaker has spoken about the terrifying moment lightning struck the plane he was on seconds after it took off.
Nassar Massalha was aboard the Pegasus Airline flight travelling from Manchester Airport to Istanbul, before it was suddenly grounded on Tuesday afternoon (June 9).
According to the 62-year-old, what sounded like a ‘massive explosion’ was heard as the plane left the runway.
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He told the M.E.N, the aircraft circled the air for ‘around 40 minutes’ before returning to the airport for safety. The incident marks the second instance where a plane has been affected by adverse weather conditions in the region today.
Earlier, it was reported that a Jet2 plane from Leeds Bradford was forced to divert to Manchester Airport after it was also struck by lightning.
Speaking of his ordeal, Nassar, told the M.E.N: “As soon as the plane left the ground, it was struck by lightning. For a second it looked like a ball of fire on the left-hand side of the aircraft.
“All passengers and crew are fine. Around five minutes after take-off, the captain announced that we had been struck by lightning and would be returning to Manchester as a precaution.
“He reassured everyone that everything was under control. After landing back in Manchester, we were given £42 vouchers to spend on food.”
Nassar, from North Wales, said passengers were transferred to a replacement flight which is scheduled to leave Manchester Airport at around 11pm on Tuesday.
He added: “It sounded like a massive explosion for a split second, amazingly none of the passengers and crew reacted to it , people were asking each other about the sound.”
Manchester Airport has confirmed that the plane was struck by lightning.
A spokesperson for Pegasus Airline said: “As a precautionary measure, passengers were transferred to another aircraft.”