This is the shocking moment a plane flying over north-west Saudi Arabia appears to be struck by a bolt of lightning during a thunderstorm.

Footage shot by someone on the ground shows the aircraft high in the air -- above the town of Hail -- then lightening suddenly flashing across the sky.

One expert said that it could well have struck the plane.

Ajel newspaper reported that the lightning missed, but Richard Taylor of the Civil Aviation Society said: "It is difficult to tell from the footage, but it could well have struck the aircraft."

"Airliners are actually well designed to withstand the effects of a lightning strike and so significant physical damage to the airframe is very rare."

"The safety of the aircraft in flight is not usually affected."

Since being uploaded to YouTube, the video has had more than 207,600 views and comments.

It is unclear which carrier the plane belonged to, however no injuries were reported.

The video follows another shocking clip covered by MailOnline earlier this month that captured the moment an Icelandair flight from Reykjavik to London was approaching Heathrow airport and was hit by lightning.

At least two other flights, a plane flying to City Airport from Edinburgh and a flight from Prague into Heathrow, were also believed to have been hit by lightning on the same evening.