Severely damaged Chinese passenger jet lands safely after being caught in hailstorm

A China Southern Airlines passenger jet was able to land safely after suffering severe damage, including cracked cockpit windows and fist-sized holes to the fuselage, after being hit by hailstones while flying between Guangzhou to Chengdu on Saturday.

Photographs posted by the airline on its Weibo social account showed the impact of the hailstones had smashed the Airbus A320’s cockpit windows, causing large cracks that made it almost impossible for the pilots to see outside, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

The protective shell covering the aircraft’s nose radar was also punctured by the hailstones, with some internet users describing it as looking like a “honeycomb” with holes large enough for a person to insert their fist.

The airline said there were no reports of injuries among the passengers and crew, but the plane would be temporarily out of service until the damage had been fully repaired.

One aviation expert told the newspaper the hailstorm had clearly breached the aircraft’s outer skin – first line of defence – but thankfully modern passenger jets had one further protective layer that had held firm.