The easyjet plane from Athens landed in Glasgow around 1:15am on Wednesday – but those on board then waited two hours for the aircraft to be refuelled before the pilot decided to fly on to the Capital, arriving around 4am.

An easyjet spokesperson said the captain made a decision to fly to Edinburgh because weather conditions improved.

But one passenger on board the plane told The Scotsman they were not given any update about the weather improving before they left Glasgow for Edinburgh and that, after a longer than expected 30 to 40 minute flight, they were still seeing sporadic bursts of lightning on approach outside the aircraft.

The easyjet flight eventually landed in Edinburgh but passengers decribed a "tense" atmosphere on board. Pictures: Rebius-Shutterstock/ contributed

However, the passenger described seeing a "huge amount of visible lightning" on the first approach to Edinburgh earlier in the night.

The passenger, who was travelling with their family, said: "Needless to say it was an extremely tense flight for all the passengers during that time. The length of the flight was leading to a growing realisation of the potential risks involved, and whether we would be able to land safely in Edinburgh or return to an uncertain future again in Glasgow.

"After landing in Edinburgh we were very surprised to see that only the other easyjet flight from Dalaman (Turkey) was showing at the luggage carousels, no mention at all of any of the Ryanair flights which had been diverted."

Several diversions

One Ryanair flight from Hungary circled several times near Edinburgh before diverting to Prestwick because of the stormy weather on Tuesday night.

The easyjet passenger said the captain advised them about five or six other Edinburgh bound aircraft were diverted to Glasgow that night, and they were concerned about the wait for refuelling in Glasgow and felt alternative coach transport could have been arranged.

But the pilots deemed it safe to fly back to Edinburgh which meant ground transport was not required.

Pilots on board the aircraft also followed correct procedures and contacted air traffic control before flying.

An easyjet spokesperson said: “We can confirm that flight EZY6966 from Athens to Edinburgh on August 11 diverted to Glasgow as a result of thunderstorm activity in Edinburgh. The captain took the decision to refuel the aircraft and depart once weather conditions improved.

"EasyJet operates our aircraft within strict limitations and our pilots are trained to the highest industry standards. The weather had improved sufficiently which meant that it was safe to return to Edinburgh where the aircraft made a routine landing.

"The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew is always easyJet's highest priority and at no point was this compromised. While the circumstances are outside of the airline's control we would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused by the diversion."

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Athens-Edinburgh easyjet passengers endured 'extremely tense' overnight flight after diversion to Glasgow during thunderstorm