AAI instructs airline ground staff at Pune Airport to be careful in conducting daily ops
A three-member team from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) which has arrived from Delhi, is conducting a detailed inspection and will submit its report to the DGCA head-office
Following an accident at Pune Airport on May 18 in which an Air India aircraft suffered damage to its centre wing section after being struck by a pushback tractor/tug during pushback for its flight to Delhi, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has given strict instructions to the ground staff of all airlines to carry out their daily operations carefully. Meanwhile, a three-member team from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) which has arrived from Delhi, is conducting a detailed inspection and will submit its report to the DGCA head-office.
Santosh Dhoke, Pune Airport director, said, “The DGCA team carrying out the inspection will most probably submit its report soon. All the suggestions given by this team will be taken into consideration and we will certainly implement them at Pune Airport.”
“Instructions related to precautionary measures have already been given. Still, we have instructed the ground staff of all airlines to strictly follow ground regulations. All the instructions and suggestions which the DGCA gives should be followed continuously for the safety of flyers,” Dhoke said.
On May 18, an Air India Airbus A321 (VT-PPK) suffered damage to its centre wing section after being struck by a pushback tractor/tug during pushback for its flight AI 858 from Pune (Airport) to Delhi. There were around 180 passengers onboard the aircraft but none of them was injured in the accident. However, they were stranded at Pune Airport due to the accident and some of them who had connecting flights from Delhi had to miss them. After the accident, the passengers were deboarded from the plane and alternative arrangements were made for another flight to Delhi by the airline.
Whereas on the day after the accident on May 19, a team from the DGCA Delhi arrived at Pune Airport for inspection and conducted an inquiry with the official staff of Air India. The DGCA team investigation was mainly about the reason behind this accident, and who was responsible for it. Soon, the report of this investigation will be submitted by the team to the DGCA.
Civil aviation expert Dhairyashil Vandekar said, “In the wake of recent incidents and accidents reported at Pune Airport, there is an urgent need for AAI and the airlines to pull up their socks to ensure safe, smooth and secure ground operations at Pune Airport and ensure that the security of passengers, aircraft and staff does not get compromised for whatever reason. Such incidents not only shake the passengers’ confidence but also raise questions about the quality of aviation growth in the country.”
“The present ground operation procedures, especially with reference to the movement of ground equipment like ladders, tractors, trolleys, tugs, vehicles, buses, fuel bowsers, passengers etc. must be immediately reviewed and revised, more so in view of the increase in the number of flights. They must compulsorily be allocated to flights operating with bigger aircraft like Airbus and Boeing. Under no circumstances should parking bays without aerobridge be allotted to such aircraft when parking bays with aerobridges are available. In case of flights operating with smaller aircraft like ATRs etc., passenger coaches must be mandatorily used and passengers should not be made to walk. The AAI must periodically check on safe driving; adherence to APRON rules and procedures; and knowledge and situational awareness of the ground staff, equipment operators and drivers. Many lapses take place due to pressure on the airline ground staff to maintain timely performance or ensure quick turnaround of delayed flights,” Vandekar said.
