Air India, Indigo plane wingtips collide at Mumbai Airport, passengers safe

Both aircraft were A320s. While the Air India plane was taxiing out, the Indigo arrival flight was taxiing in. Both returned to the bay for inspections

MUMBAI: A mishap was narrowly averted at Mumbai Airport on Tuesday evening when the right wingtips of two aircraft brushed against each other. Air India aircraft AI 2732 was departing to Coimbatore while Indigo aircraft 6E 791 was coming in from Hyderabad to Mumbai. The accident happened at around 7.30 pm, and officials of the directorate-general of civil aviation reached the spot soon after.

Air India, Indigo plane wingtips collide at Mumbai Airport, passengers safe

Both aircraft were A320s. While the Air India plane was taxiing out, the Indigo arrival flight was taxiing in. Both returned to the bay for inspections.

An Air India spokesperson said, “Flight AI2732, operating from Mumbai to Coimbatore, was delayed after the aircraft scheduled to operate the service came into contact with another airline’s aircraft while waiting on the taxiway prior to take-off. The wingtips of the two aircraft made contact, resulting in damage to our aircraft’s wingtip.”

The spokesperson said that as a precautionary measure, the aircraft had been grounded for further technical checks. “All passengers have safely disembarked, and our ground teams are making alternative arrangements to fly them to their destination at the earliest,” he added. “The incident has been reported to the regulator.”