Two airplanes travelling to and from Tymbou (Ercan) airport in the north had narrow escapes when they were caught in the middle of a hailstorm while flying over Istanbul.
A Turkish Airways and an Atlas Global Airways plane were seriously damaged from the hailstorm with passengers on board living through scary moments.
Atlas Global’s Airbus A320 saw the most damage when it attempted to leave from Ataturk Airport in Istanbul to head for Cyprus.
Just a few minutes after take-off, at 5,000 feet, a sudden hailstorm broke out causing serious damage to the cockpit of the Atlas Global’s Airbus.
The nose of the plane was badly damaged, while the windows of the cockpit had cracked. Having been struck also by a thunderbolt the plane also saw damages to its radio communication systems.
Having no alternative the pilot requested to return to the Istanbul airport and performed an emergency landing.
Luckily no passengers were injured in the incidents, announced by the Turkish Cypriot transportation office.
