Yemenia Airways flight IY648 was left with a badly dented nose and a cracked cockpit windscreen after flying through a severe hailstorm on approach to Amman, Jordan, on Monday. The aircraft landed safely and no injuries were reported among passengers or crew.
Flight IY648 hit by severe weather
The flight was travelling from Aden International Airport in Yemen to the Jordanian capital when it encountered the storm. Images showed the radome stripped of paint, dented and pockmarked, while the left cockpit windscreen appeared covered in cracks.
Airline spokesperson Hatem al-Shaabi confirmed the plane landed safely after the “hail strike” and would remain at Queen Alia International Airport for maintenance and inspection. Captain Basim Fareed and his crew maintained control and completed the landing on runway 26L.
Passenger accounts and airline response
Passenger accounts described fear as the aircraft entered the thunderstorm, with some saying the captain calmly reassured those on board that everything was under control and they would land safely. Al-Shaabi said weather fluctuations pose a challenge to airlines worldwide and require strict adherence to safety procedures to protect passengers and crews.
He praised the company’s qualified, experienced pilots and specialised technical teams, noting ongoing training programmes to raise operational readiness. The damaged Airbus A320, registered 7O-AFB, was still on the ground in Amman the following day as engineers assessed the hail damage.
Replacement aircraft and recent similar incident
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. Yemenia described the damage as superficial to the nose but stressed that the safety of passengers, crews and aircraft remains the airline’s top priority.
Earlier this month, an IndiGo flight from Patna to Lucknow, in India, encountered a hailstorm before landing safely at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, where damage to the aircraft’s nose was discovered. Flight 6E925 had dropped to about 17,000ft when it is claimed to have been jolted by lightning during a storm, although this has not been confirmed and will be part of an investigation.
A spokesperson for IndiGo confirmed that there was “unfavourable weather” including hailstone. Despite the damage to the nose of the plane, it was able to land normally 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.
