LONDON - Two planes were struck by lightning Wednesday over West London.

Passengers shared their stories of relief after the British Airways flight landed safely at London’s busy Heathrow airport. The other plane was an Icelandair flight.

One passenger described a “white flash” while other people onboard said they felt a “crack” and “bang” as multiple bolts struck the aircraft.

British Airways says their planes are built to cope with lightning strikes and that the aircraft would be thoroughly inspected before it would be airborne again.

“It came out of the blue. There was a really loud bang and a white flash. Not really what you want on a plane,” Liz Dobson, a charity worker said. “The lightning hit the wing.”

Icelandair had a similar response to the incident.

"The aircraft was of course inspected after landing for safety reasons, and as the lightning did not cause damage, the aircraft was returned to service later last night," said a spokesperson for the airline.

On average, the BBC reports commercial planes are struck by lightning about once a year.