Overview
- A visibly dented Air Cairo Airbus A320 landed at Stuttgart Airport on Thursday evening and was examined on the tarmac, with airport staff suspending unloading during the storm.
- The Deutscher Wetterdienst had warned of a supercell in the region that produced strong winds and hailstones measured up to about five centimetres, creating hazardous conditions for aircraft.
- Photos and some tabloid reports described a cracked cockpit windshield, but airport spokespeople and official sources have not verified those dramatic details and the airline has not issued a statement.
- All roughly 200 passengers and crew were reported uninjured; many were put up in hotels overnight and most flew out the next morning on a replacement aircraft while the damaged plane reportedly departed back to Marsa Alam.
- Experts note the nose radome that houses weather radar is particularly vulnerable to hail and that pilots can use instrument landing systems if visibility or windscreens are compromised, but final causes and the extent of technical damage await airline and maintenance inspections.