Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images
- A Delta Air Lines flight was damaged by a hailstorm and turned around shortly after takeoff.The Airbus A330 departed from Barcelona, destined for New York's JFK Airport.Delta apologized for delays, and passengers were rebooked on alternate flights.
A Delta Air Lines flight turned back to Spain after being damaged by flying through a hailstorm.
The Airbus A330 departed Barcelona around 2:30 p.m. local time on Saturday. Flight 169 was supposed to touch down at New York's JFK Airport about eight hours later.
After takeoff, data from Flightradar 24 shows the plane looped over the mainland before heading back out over the Balearic Sea.
It then circled a few times and returned to Barcelona, landing back where it started around 45 minutes earlier.
A Delta spokesperson said the plane experienced "weather-related damage after departure."
Images shared on social media appeared to show a large dent in the center of the plane's nose, and other signs of damage consistent with hail.
Travel news site Paddle Your Own Kanoo reported that some passengers said they received severe storm alerts on their phones as the plane was taxiing for takeoff.
According to flight-tracking data, the nine-year-old Airbus A330, registered as N827NW, was still parked in Barcelona on Monday.
"The flight landed safely in Barcelona and customers were reaccommodated on alternate flights to their final destinations," the airline spokesperson said in the statement. "Delta apologizes to our customers for the delay in their travels."
This wouldn't be the first time that a plane has been damaged by bad weather.
Last year, an Austrian Airlines plane's windscreen shattered and its nose cone was torn off after flying through a thunderstorm.
And back in 2023, another Delta flight, from Milan to New York, had to divert to Rome after flying through a hailstorm, USA Today reported at the time.
