Delhi Airport: Three Air India narrowbody aircraft were damaged on Sunday as strong winds and heavy rains caused ground support equipment to break and hit parked aircraft at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).
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Delhi Airport: Three Air India narrowbody aircraft were damaged when strong winds and heavy rains toppled ground support equipment at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Sunday, hitting parked aircraft. The incident occurred at around 4:40 pm in a parking bay near Terminal 2, airport operator DIAL said.
According to news agency PTI, airport officials said that due to the sudden bad weather, step ladders and other equipment used by the ground handling and engineering teams of Air India and IndiGo were blown away by strong winds and hit the planes, causing damage to three planes.
Following the incident, all three affected Air India A320 aircraft were immediately grounded and inspections and repairs began. Two of these aircraft are expected to return to service within a few days, while one aircraft sustained significant damage and may remain out of service for an extended period.
Air traffic control did not issue any warning.
According to DIAL, no warnings were issued by Air Traffic Control (ATC) to either the airport operator or airlines regarding the sudden change in weather before the storm struck. Typically, upon receiving such warnings, airlines and ground handling teams secure equipment on the runway and tarmac.
Airport sources said that due to strong winds and rain, several ground support equipment were dislodged and severely damaged in the incident. One source said the aircraft’s staircase was significantly impacted, requiring extensive inspection and repair.
However, an airline source told the news agency that three Air India flights as well as those of other operators were affected by the bad weather.
This incident comes just months after an Air India Airbus A350 aircraft was damaged at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). At that time, an unsecured baggage container was struck by the aircraft’s engine during taxiing (approaching the runway) amid dense fog, causing damage.
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