Yemenia Airways flight IY648 landed safely in Amman, Jordan, on Monday after encountering a severe hailstorm that cracked the cockpit windscreen and damaged the aircraft's nose. The flight, which departed from Yemen, was approaching Queen Alia International Airport when it hit the storm.
Images of the aircraft showed the radome stripped of paint, dented and pockmarked, while the left cockpit windscreen appeared covered in cracks. Yemenia described the damage as superficial to the nose.
Safe Landing and Passenger Accounts
An airline spokesperson confirmed the plane landed safely after the “hail strike” and would remain at Queen Alia International Airport for maintenance and inspection. Passengers and crew were able to disembark on landing without injuries despite the significant turbulence.
Passenger accounts described fear as the aircraft entered the thunderstorm. However, some stressed that the captain calmly reassured those on board that everything was under control and that they would land safely.
Airline Response and Maintenance
The airline spokesperson explained that weather fluctuations pose challenges for airlines worldwide and require strict adherence to safety procedures to protect passengers and crews. He also praised the company’s qualified, experienced pilots and specialised technical teams, noting ongoing training programmes to raise operational readiness.
The damaged aircraft, registered 7O-AFB, remained on the ground in Amman the following day (Tuesday) while engineers assessed the hail damage. Passengers booked on the return service from Amman to Aden were transferred to a replacement aircraft departing at the time already shown on their tickets.
Separate IndiGo Incident
In a separate incident earlier this month, an IndiGo flight from Patna to Lucknow, India, encountered a hailstorm before landing safely at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, where damage to the aircraft’s nose was discovered. A spokesperson for IndiGo confirmed that there was “unfavourable weather”, including hailstones.
Despite damage to the plane's nose, it landed safely at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport eight minutes ahead of schedule on October 7. All 104 passengers and six crew walked away from the scare unhurt.
