Lightning strikes plane en route to airport

A video capturing the moment when lightning struck a plane en route to Heathrow Airport has emerged.

Photos and video have been posted on social media of the strikes on Wednesday evening (UK time), and one photographer captured the moment an aircraft approaching Heathrow appeared to be hit by a lightning bolt.

Catherine Mayer was travelling back from a research trip on an Icelandair flight from Reykjavik to Heathrow when the lightning struck.

"I was rushing back to campaign for the Women's Equality Party in the May 5 elections here. When we flew into the storm, my first thought was, I can't die. I have to vote," she told the Evening Standard.

Student Phillippa Burns, 21, flying into Heathrow from Prague said: "We were going though low clouds and I was just looking out the window and there was a huge light and crack.

"It was a huge lightning bolt but I couldn't tell where on the plane it hit."

A spokesman for British Airways said the flight from Prague landed safely.

"Flight BA857 landed safely, and will undergo inspection before it returns to service. The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority.

"Lightning strikes are fairly common, and aircraft are designed to cope with them."