Overview

• The Airbus A330, operating as Flight 169, departed Barcelona at 2:30 p.m. local time bound for New York’s JFK Airport before encountering hail damage.
• Flightradar24 data shows the aircraft looped over the Spanish mainland, circled over the Balearic Sea, and returned about 45 minutes after takeoff.
• Social media images revealed a sizable dent on the plane’s nose and other marks consistent with hail impact.
• Delta apologized for the travel delay and reaccommodated all passengers on alternate flights without injuries.
• The nine-year-old jet, registered as N827NW, remains parked in Barcelona pending a thorough structural inspection.