Video credit - Bernhard Warr



A British Airways Airbus A350 preparing for departure from São Paulo Guarulhos International Airport to London was struck by lightning on January 24. The dramatic moment, captured by a passenger, delayed the flight by several hours but caused no significant issues.


The lightning struck the vertical stabilizer of the aircraft while it was stationed at the passenger bridge. Filmer Bernhard Warr, who was on board, described the incident:

BERNHARD TELLS
"I was returning from São Paulo after a week of good weather. As we arrived at the airport, a storm moved in, grounding flights, including ours, for over an hour. I saw lightning striking near the airfield, so I started filming with our plane in the frame. I got lucky – the strike happened right in front of me!"


Following the strike, the plane was taken for inspections, delaying British Airways Flight BA246 by nearly six hours. Engineers identified minor damage, which was promptly repaired. The aircraft departed at 23:07 local time, well past its scheduled time of 16:20, and is due to land in London at 12:43 UK time.


Aircraft like the Airbus A350 are designed to safely handle lightning strikes, using features like static dischargers to disperse the electrical charge. Despite the delay, all passengers were safely on their way after thorough safety checks.