On October 12, 2023, two Azul Airbus A320neo aircraft were damaged by a hail strike. The incident occurred while the planes were en route to their destinations. The first Airbus A320neo, with registration PR-YRB, was operating flight AD2784 from Viracopos International Airport, Campinas to Afonso Pena International Airport, Curitiba in São José dos Pinhais. During the flight, the aircraft was hit by a severe hail strike which damaged its Nose Radome. The other A320neo, with registration PR-YRO, was operating flight AD4011 from Jorge Amado Airport, in Ilhéus to Viracopos Airport. This flight also encountered the same adverse weather conditions, resulting in a damaged nose radome upon arrival in Campinas.
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Azul Linhas Aéreas reported damages to the Nose Radomes of both its A320 aircraft (PR-YRB and PR-YRO) due to the hail strike. Despite the damage, both aircraft managed to land safely and all passengers disembarked without any issues. The aircraft with registration PR-YRO was descending towards Viracopos Airport when it flew through the hail. It continued for a safe landing on Viracopos' runway 15. The aircraft suffered a bent radome and a cracked windshield. It remained on the ground in Sao Paulo for about 19 hours after landing.
Azul informed that the aircraft on flights AD2784 (Campinas-Curitiba) and AD4011 (Ilhéus-Campinas) encountered adverse weather conditions during their journeys. An airline spokesperson reported that "The landings occurred normally and the Customers disembarked safely".
This incident serves as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of weather and its potential impact on aviation. It underscores the importance of weather forecasting and planning in ensuring the safety of flights. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, it is commendable that both flights managed to land safely without any harm to passengers or crew.
