Saudia Airbus A330 and Libyan Airlines A320 damaged by the extreme weather

A Saudia Airbus A330 and a Libyan Airlines Airbus A320 were damaged by the extreme weather conditions.

Heavy rainfall and violent hailstorms over Jeddah on November 24th resulted in disruption at the city’s airport and damage to at least two aircraft as they came in to land.

An Airbus A330-300 belonging to Saudia was operating flight SV452 from Khartoum (KRT) to King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) when it encountered the inclement weather. The aircraft, registration HZ-AQ25, entered a hold at high altitude prior to landing to wait for conditions to improve.

The onboard crew attempted an initial approach, but subsequently climbed back to an altitude of 19,000ft and continued to hold. On its second approach, the flight encountered severe hail and turbulence.

The flight landed safely at 11:14, approximately 45 minutes after entering the first hold, however, the Airbus A330-300 had suffered significant damage as a result of the hail.