Karas also on board

Two AUA aircraft struck by lightning near Vienna

EU mandatary Karas was also on board the AUA flight to Brussels. He witnessed the lightning strike.

(Bild: Fotomontage Fotos Thomas Görlitz Krone KREATIV,)

The Austrian-wide storms not only caused chaos on the roads, but also at Austrian Airlines. Two AUA aircraft were struck by lightning. The planes had to return to Schwechat. Among the passengers on Tuesday was EU top politician Othmar Karas, who had to witness the minutes of terror. 

A big shock for the First Vice-President of the European Parliament: no sooner had an AUA plane taking off for Brussels on Tuesday afternoon reached cruising altitude than "a bright flash of light" suddenly flashed past from the cloud cover near the window where he was sitting. "In addition to this flash, I also heard a second bang and initially thought that the plane had hit a bird," Karas describes the unusual experience high above Austria in an interview with "Krone".

In addition to this flash, I also heard a one-second bang and initially thought that the plane had hit a bird

EU-Politiker Othmar Karas

Plane returned to Vienna
The pilot immediately made an announcement from the cockpit. Karas heard the reassuring announcement that the engine had not been damaged. "But we still returned to Vienna. Some impact holes were discovered there, so we had to transfer to another plane," said the mandatary. Despite the dramatic incident, he did not feel threatened. However, he added: "I've never really experienced anything like this before."

Such an event is likely to make every passenger feel queasy: however, the fact that this is not an isolated incident was first demonstrated on Monday evening, when an AUA aircraft took off late at 6.23 p.m. for Naples and was suddenly struck by lightning in the middle of the storm near Ödenburg in Hungary (see screenshot). The plane was unable to continue its journey and had to return to the airport in Schwechat.

After the plane was struck by lightning near Ödenburg, it had to turn back.

(Bild: „Krone“-Leserreporter)

Journey continued on Tuesday
According to a "Krone" reader reporter, whose sister-in-law was also on the plane, there was no panic: "The turbulence is said to have been noticeable, and the passengers were then accommodated in hotels." The guests were able to resume their journey on Tuesday. The incident was also confirmed by AUA: "The aircraft on yesterday's flight OS 543 was struck by lightning. The aircraft has returned safely to Vienna and is currently undergoing technical checks."

EU mandatary Karas was also on board the AUA flight to Brussels. He witnessed the lightning strike.

(Bild: Fotomontage Fotos Thomas Görlitz Krone KREATIV,)

Is flying in thunderstorms dangerous?
However, nobody should be afraid of their next flight. After all, thunderstorms are not dangerous for airplanes in the air. Although turbulence can occur during severe thunderstorms, a jet plane can cope with it well. In general, it is rare for an aircraft to fly directly through a thunderstorm; pilots usually try to avoid them.

Lightning is only conducted through the aircraft
Even a lightning strike to an aircraft poses no danger to passengers or pilots: Passenger planes are mainly made of aluminum, which can prevent lightning from entering the cabin. The fact that airplanes have no physical contact with the ground means that, technically speaking, lightning cannot strike the airplane at all, but is instead conducted around the aircraft.