American Airlines Dreamliner Damaged by Hail Returns to Service

— -- An American Airlines Dreamliner that suffered hail damage last month during its flight from Beijing to Dallas is back in service today after an evaluation by their maintenance team, the airline said today.

The plane was in service for less than three months when the incident occurred.

“American Airlines Flight 88, a flight from Beijing Capital International Airport to Dallas Fort/Worth International Airport, returned to Beijing due to damage sustained by weather in flight,” American Airlines said in a statement when the incident occurred last month.

The 787 with 209 passengers and 13 crew on board, was in flight for 44 minutes before it had to return to Beijing.

American Airlines tweeted this morning before and after photos of the Dreamliner.

The 787 returned to service this morning on a flight from Dallas Fort Worth to Chicago and will then travel from Chicago to Narita International Airport in Japan.

Not only did the randome -- or nose cone -- have to be replaced, but other items such as the landing and navigational lights, trailing and leading edges of the wings, engine caps and cowlings, horizontal and vertical stabilizers and panels on the underside of the wings also required repairs as a result of the hail, according to American Airlines.

The airlines says the fuselage did not sustain any damage.