EasyJet plane struck by LIGHTNING told not to land at Nice ... then forced to fly 150 miles past destination due to mid-air 'traffic jam'
- easyJet flight struck by bolt 10 minutes after taking off from Geneva
- Budget airline pilot told to fly on to the destination of Nice
- Once there, plane couldn't land due to aircraft 'traffic jam'
- Forced to fly on to Milan - some 150 miles and 55 minutes away
Panic erupted aboard an easyjet flight to Nice on Monday when the plane was struck by lightning moments after taking off from Geneva airport in Switzerland.
Then after flying to the French Riviera, the plane lurched back into full flight just 200 metres from landing due to a 'blocked runway' and diverted to Milan.
Shaken passengers then had to wait another seven hours before another plane was sent from London to return them to Nice.
Accident: An easyJet flight was struck by lightning only ten minutes after leaving Geneva Airport (file photo)
The route the plane was forced to take - despite reaching its destination and then having to fly off
The drama began when lightning struck flight EZY1377 just ten minutes after taking off from Geneva's Cointrin airport on Monday morning for the 45-minute flight to the south of France.
The pilot was told he could not return to the ground and continued to Nice, where bad weather had created a aircraft 'traffic jam' on the ground.
The plane then turned suddenly and regained altitude just seconds from landing, and continued another 45 minutes to Milan in northern Italy.
Furious travellers said they were then offered just £7 each to buy a 'complimentary' lunch while they waited until 4.40pm for a second plane to take them back to Nice, landing at 5.25pm.
The scene over Nice (not from actual incident) - but passengers never actually landed there
However, flyers said the cheapest meal available was £10.
Swiss passenger Franca Scuderi told Switzerland's 20 Minutes online news: 'First we were hit by lightening which caused a lot of concern aboard the plane.
'Then we continued to Nice where just 200 metres from the runway we lurched up again and were told we were going to Milan.
'Once there, we were offered nine euros each to buy food and drink, but the cheapest meal in the restaurant was 12 euros. The day was a shambles.'
MailOnline has contacted easyJet for comment.
A shock to the system - lightning has reared its ugly head before...
Back in July this year travellers on board the flight from Bristol to Barcelona were left terrified when the bolt shook the plane, causing many to burst into tears.
The Airbus A319-111 was forced to land at Spain's Reus Airport due to thunderstorms when the lightning strike happened.
The flight, from Bristol Airport, was due to arrive at Barcelona International at 10.10am local time. But, just minutes before landing, the plane was struck by the freak storm.
A member of the public captured a lightning bolt striking a plane flying into Birmingham
The airport was closed, with many other planes also forced to land at Reus.
And in March a flight from Amsterdam to Birmingham was hit by three bolts of lightning.
Passengers heard a 'massive bang' - but the plane landed as normal. Incredible photos taken by a member of the public at ground level, capturing the storm, caught a picture of one bolt striking the plane.
Passengers spoke of a 'massive bang' as one of the bolts struck the body of the KLM service from Amsterdam, but the blasts had no effect on the landing, which proceeded as normal to touch down.
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
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