An Emirates flight had to turn around shortly after take-off in Italy on Tuesday when a hailstorm damaged the plane.
Flight EK205 left Dubai for New York via Milan at 9.51am.
Minutes after take-off in northern Italy, a hailstorm forced the pilots to head back to Malpensa Airport as hailstones battered the aircraft.
No injuries were reported, Emirates said.
Pictures were shared online showing damage to the exterior of the aircraft, including broken windows and punctured metalwork on the fuselage.
In a statement to The National, Emirates said the safety of its passengers and crew was of the utmost importance.
“Emirates flight EK205, scheduled to leave Milan (MXP) for New York (JFK) on 13 July at 14:10 (Milan time), had returned to Milan shortly after take-off due to adverse weather,” the airline said.
“The flight landed without incident in Milan and passengers and crew were safely disembarked.
“All affected passengers were accommodated and rebooked on subsequent services the following day.”
The Boeing 777-300ER circled the airport several times to burn fuel as it was loaded with enough for an eight-hour flight to New York, making it too heavy to land.
Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 said the crew attempted to land but was forced to perform a “go around” before making a successful landing at 6.05pm.
THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors
Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode
Power: 121hp
Torque: 142Nm
Price: Dh95,900
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
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Transmission: 10-speed auto
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Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets