Planes undergo a series of exhaustive safety checks before taking to the skies, and you'd think that 'having all its windows' would be an important criteria for liftoff. In late-2023 an Airbus A321 took off from London Stansted Airport with four damaged window panes, two of which were entirely missing. The plane reached 14,000 feet (4,300m) before their absence was noticed, and the plane was turned around.

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