Mexico City, Mexico — An Aeromexico flight bound for New York had to return to Mexico City International Airport (AICM) after it was struck by lightning. On Tuesday, stormy weather in Mexico City saw the plane struck shortly after take off.
The pilot of Aeromexico flight 404 that was bound for John Kennedy International decided to return to the ground as a precautionary measure. On social media, the AICM reported that the incident did not represent an emergency.
“Flight 404 of Aeromexico bound for New York returned to CDMX as a precaution, as it was struck by lightning, which did not represent an emergency. The plane landed at 9:33 p.m. without incident. The flight will resume soon. We suggest to be in contact with the airline.”
The flight was rescheduled to take off at 10:30 p.m.
According to the IASCA Aeronautical Instruction Center, one commercial aircraft is struck by lightening for every 1,000 hours of flight.
Less than two weeks ago, another Aeromexico flight bound for Chicago was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff after a bird damaged an engine.