Hail damages Yemenia A320’s nose and windscreen on Aden-Amman flight
Yemen Herald News 
ADEN, Yemen — Hail struck a Yemenia Airways aircraft flying from Aden to Amman on Monday, damaging its nose and cockpit windscreen, and the plane landed safely.
The carrier confirmed the incident on Tuesday, the state news agency Saba reported.
Its spokesman, Hatem al-Shaabi, said the aircraft had been hit by hail during the flight from Aden International Airport to Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan.
It reached Amman without harm to anyone on board, he said.
The aircraft would undergo maintenance at Queen Alia, al-Shaabi said.
Passengers booked from Amman to Aden would travel on another aircraft, leaving at the time shown on their existing bookings.
Al-Shaabi said the incident showed the weather challenges airlines face worldwide, and the importance of readiness and of compliance with safety procedures.
Yemenia has qualified pilots and specialised technical crews, he said, and continues training so staff can handle such conditions.
The safety of passengers, crew and aircraft is the carrier’s first priority, he said.
The specialist site The Aviation Hub identified the aircraft as an Airbus A320 registered 7O-AFB, operating flight IY648. It drew on The Aviation Herald and on flight-tracking data.
The aircraft landed on runway 26L at Queen Alia on Monday, that account said.
Hail damaged the nose, including the radome that houses the aircraft’s weather radar, and the cockpit windscreen.
Images published with the reports showed impact damage across the nose and heavy damage to the windscreen.
The storm also brought turbulence and strong winds, the site said.
No injuries were reported among passengers or crew.
The Cypriot site Sigmalive and Greek news outlets carried the same account on Tuesday. The Yemeni outlet Yemen Monitor reported the airline’s statement the same day.
Sigmalive said a replacement aircraft had been arranged for passengers travelling from Amman to Aden, and that the handling of the conditions by the flight crew had been praised.
The radome is the shell over an aircraft’s nose that covers its weather radar.
Yemenia is Yemen’s state-owned national carrier. It was founded in 1962, is registered in Sanaa and uses Aden International Airport as its hub.
The airline operates Airbus A320s and has placed orders for A320neo, A321neo and A350-900 aircraft.
Several of its aircraft were destroyed in Israeli strikes on Sanaa airport in May 2025.
Aden International Airport is the main air gateway for the parts of Yemen outside Houthi control.
Flights from Aden serve Riyadh, Amman, Cairo and Jeddah.
Yemenia suspended flights from Aden for three days in early January after the Southern Transitional Council announced the suspension of operations at the airport.
A channel affiliated with the council said Saudi Arabia had suspended flights to and from Aden.
The internationally recognised government denied that and said the airport remained open.
Services resumed that Sunday, after directives from the transport minister and the chairman of the airline’s board, and after talks with Saudi counterparts who approved the resumption.
Air travel across the region has been disrupted during October.
The Houthi movement claimed attacks on airports and oil facilities across Saudi Arabia on Oct. 24. Saudi authorities reported earlier strikes during the month on Dammam airport and on energy infrastructure.
The European Parliament, in a resolution adopted on Oct. 22, said disruption at the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Strait of Hormuz was raising energy prices in Europe.
Queen Alia International Airport lies about 30 kilometres south of Amman and is Jordan’s main international airport.
The aircraft carries manufacturer serial number 4690 and joined Yemenia in May 2011, The Aviation Hub said. It is about 15 years old.
It was among the first aircraft from a firm order for ten A320s that Yemenia announced in January 2010, the site said.
Israeli strikes on Sanaa airport in May 2025 destroyed the A320s registered 7O-AFA and 7O-AFC and an A330, according to the same account. A further strike that month destroyed the A320 registered 7O-AFF.
The Aden operation relied on three A320s after those losses, 7O-AFB among them, the site said. Yemenia has since added a fourth, named Kingdom of Awsan.
That aircraft arrived at Aden International Airport earlier this year, Saba reported at the time. Transport Minister Abdul Salam Humaid said it was the fourth addition to the fleet.
Nasser Mahmoud, the chairman of Yemenia’s board, said it seats 150 passengers in business and economy classes, according to the agency.
The damaged aircraft was still on the ground at Queen Alia about 29 hours after it landed, The Aviation Hub said on Tuesday. Yemenia has not said when it will return to service.
Aden International Airport has a single asphalt runway, 08/26, measuring 3,100 metres. It is Yemenia’s hub.
Yemenia flights from Aden also serve Addis Ababa, Djibouti, Dubai, Kuwait City, Mumbai, Mukalla, Seiyun, Socotra and al-Ghaydah.
Queen Alia International Airport lies south of Amman and is Jordan’s main international airport.
The Greek outlet Protothema published images of the damage on Tuesday. It said Yemeni media had reported turbulence during the flight.
It is the second-largest airport in Yemen, after Sanaa International.
Mahmoud said the name honours the ancient Yemeni kingdom of Awsan.
Humaid also restated the carrier’s commitment to a cabinet decision to sell tickets in the national currency.
About the Author
