Kolkata: A lightning struck an Agartala-bound IndiGo aircraft, with 141 passengers and six crew members on board, moments before departure at the Kolkata airport on Friday morning. An immediate power outage and panic among flyers forced the airline to deboard the passengers and arrange for a replacement aircraft after mandatory safety inspections.Two ground staff members, who were on the tarmac, had to be taken to a hospital. They were discharged after treatment. The incident occurred around 9.30 am, when the Airbus A320 Neo was stationed at Stand 56L and readying for departure. According to airport officials, boarding was completed and the aircraft doors were closed when lightning struck the plane. The blinding flash and the deafening thunderclap not only shook the passengers and crew members but also briefly knocked out power inside the aircraft, adding to the anxiety on board. Some reported temporary hearing difficulties.An airport official said the lightning current travelled harmlessly along the aircraft’s metallic exterior before dissipating into the ground as a modern aircraft is designed to withstand such strikes. . “As a precautionary measure, passengers were deboarded and taken back to the terminal. After the aircraft underwent the required inspections, the airline arranged for an alternative aircraft. The flight finally took of at 12.50 pm,” an airport official said.The impact was even more severe outside the aircraft, where two ground staff members of the AI Airport Services Ltd were standing in the apron area when the lightning struck nearby. The two men reportedly went into shock and had to be taken to a hospital. They reportedly escaped without major injuries but suffered temporary hearing loss and acute distress. “When lightning strikes a tall object, such as a pole, the enormous electrical charge spreads across the ground surface. This phenomenon, known as ground current, is one of the most common causes of lightning-related injuries and fatalities. A nearby strike can disrupt the heart’s electrical rhythm, cause cardiac arrest, rupture eardrums, inflict burns and even trigger temporary paralysis. Fortunately, the two workers were found to be unharmed and recovered quickly,” an airport official said.After the lightning strike, IndiGo launched the mandatory post-strike safety inspections of the aircraft before clearing it for further operations. “These inspections are held to rule out any scorch mark on the fuselage, melted paint, or damage to sensitive communication and navigation equipment. The flyers were shifted to another aircraft, which operated the Agartala flight,” an airline official said.The thunderstorm also caused widespread disruption on roads leading to the airport. Flyers travelling for other departures struggled to navigate waterlogged stretches of VIP Road, particularly near the Haldiram’s crossing. The Met office in Dum Dum recorded 88 mm rainfall. “Heavy rainfall led to severe waterlogging and consequent traffic jams. A drive from Sector V to the airport usually takes around 30 minutes but it took us over an hour on Friday afternoon,” said Roshni Chatterjee, who travelled to the airport.Airlines issued travel advisory, warning passengers about possible delays amid rain and urging them to start for the airport early, given the possibility of slow traffic and congestions due to waterlogging.
