File image. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
An Air New Zealand plane has been hit by lightning en route to Bali and has been forced to return to Auckland.
The aircraft landed back in Auckland safely, and is now undergoing standard engineering checks.
Air New Zealand Flight NZ64 which was travelling from Auckland to Denpasar was hit by lightning before being diverted back to Auckland, as a result flight NZ65 from Denpasar to Auckland has also been cancelled, Air New Zealand said.
In a statement, the airline's head of flight operations Hugh Pearce said lightning strikes were not uncommon.
Aircraft were designed with this in mind, and pilots trained for this scenario, he said.
Air New Zealand is now working to re-accommodate customers in both Auckland and Bali on the next available flights.
