At Santo Domingo Airport, a Boeing 787-9 operated by Air Europa was damaged during landing. The long-haul aircraft was hit by parts of the runway surface that came loose for unknown reasons.

The incident occurred on April 7, 2024 with the machine bearing the identifier EC-NBX. The Dreamliner landed in Santo Domingo coming from Madrid under flight number UX89. The flight was completely unspectacular and routine. The unusual incident only occurred shortly after touching down on the runway.

The EC-NBX was hit by several foreign objects during the braking process. According to official information, these are components of the surface of the runway that have come loose for reasons that are still unclear. The long-haul aircraft suffered damage, which can be seen, among other things, in the embedded photos that were distributed on social media.

For safety reasons, the aircraft was examined by technicians. Significant damage – including numerous holes – was found on the hull. These mainly occurred in the lower area of ​​the machine. The captain in charge decided to declare this Boeing 787-9 unfit to fly. This meant that the return flight to Madrid had to be canceled.

When asked, Air Europa explained that it is currently assumed that the runway's asphalt surface may have broken during landing. The debris then hit the Boeing 787-9. This is also supported by the fact that numerous potholes were found on the runway. This meant that operations had to be temporarily suspended. With the help of cold asphalt and concrete, makeshift emergency repairs were carried out so that flight operations could be resumed in the meantime.

Air Europa had to repair EC-NBX on site. On April 10, 2024, the long-haul aircraft ferry was transferred to its home base in Madrid. There the long-haul jet was examined in more detail by the staff of the company's own technical operations. At the time of the incident, this Boeing 787-9 was just under five years old.