An Air New Zealand flight en route to French Polynesia was struck by lightning last night.
The airline’s chief operating officer Alex Marren said the plane was on its way to Papeete, Tahiti.
“On the way to Papeete last night, NZ902 experienced a lightning strike about 20 minutes after take-off,” she said.
“The aircraft returned to Auckland, where our maintenance teams can complete inspections so it can return to service.
“Lightning strike is not uncommon and our pilots are trained for this scenario.”
All affected customers were rebooked to travel to Papeete today, Marren said.
