A Kuwait Airways flight bound for Beirut was damaged after colliding with snow during its landing at Lebanon’s Rafiq Hariri International Airport on Sunday.
Images of the aircraft, which was damaged while flying at an altitude of 8,000 feet appeared on social media showing Flight KU501’s dented nose.
Kuwait Airways also took to social media, tweeting to confirm that the flight had been ‘hit by a sudden impact of a mass of snow passing.’
Kuwait Airways wishes to clarify, that its Airbus plane (A320) operated for its flight (KU501) departed to Beirut on Sunday morning 21/4/2019 was hit by a sudden impact of a mass of snow passing. Thankfully the plane landed safely at Rafiq Hariri International Airport in Beirut/1
— Kuwait Airways (@KuwaitAirways) April 21, 2019
The flight was able to safely land in Beirut, where a technical services team from Kuwait Airways was able to repair the damage.
Passengers affected by delays due to the incident were given rooms in a local hotel, and the return flight departed Lebanon at 10.30pm, landing at Kuwait International Airport at 00:50 on Monday morning.
Other news reports stated that the pilot of the plane had told the directorate general of civil aviation in Lebanon that the damage occurred due to an ice cloud rather than hail. A complete investigation into the incident is expected to clarify the exact cause.
A cyclone hit Lebanon and surrounding countries last week, bringing with it cold temperatures, gusts of snow, hail and strong wind.
