HYDERABAD: It was a scary few minutes for passengers travelling to Hyderabad from Ahmedabad on Indigo Airbus flight (6E6954) on Saturday night as the aircraft began its descent towards the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA). A large amount of hailstones reportedly hit the front portion of the aircraft — an A320 Neo — with heavy force, thereby damaging its nose and windshields.
Recently, hailstorms were reported across the State, and even Hyderabad. Passengers and crew members could hear and see the hailstones hitting the windshields with full force. While the sound of cracked glasses in a pressure-regulated cabin floating in the air can cause panic in any crowd, the passengers and even netizens heaped praises on the pilot and other crew for managing to land the aircraft safely amid gusty winds.
After the landing, the servicing team found there were cracks in the windshield and on the front part of the aircraft. They replaced the damaged parts. However, the flight was grounded for around 15 hours, before being reinducted into service.
Following the incident, photographs of the aircraft’s damaged nose and windshields are being heavily circulated on various social media platforms. Luckily, there were no injuries to passengers or crew in the event of hailstorms.