On 18 May, an Brussels Airlines Airbus A320neo, registered OO-SBB, operating flight SN2825 from Brussels to Budapest, was forced to return shortly after take-off following a lightning strike.
According to the airline, the aircraft was struck during departure from Brussels Airport. As a precautionary measure, the crew decided to head back to Brussels for a visual inspection of the aircraft.
The Airbus A320neo landed safely back in Brussels, where technicians carried out the required inspections. The 176 passengers and six crew members were later able to continue their journey to the Hungarian capital aboard a replacement Airbus A320, registered OO-TCH. The flight eventually arrived in Budapest with a delay of approximately two and a half hours.
Following the inspection, OO-SBB has since been returned to service and is scheduled to operate a flight from Nice on 19 May.
Lightning strikes on commercial aircraft are relatively common and modern airliners are designed to withstand them. In most cases, aircraft undergo mandatory inspections after such an event before being cleared to resume operations.