Electric baggage tractor rams Air India plane at IGI airport

The national carrier said no passenger was injured in the accident.

An electronic baggage tow tractor on Saturday collided into an Air India plane at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport delaying a flight to Shanghai by 45 minutes.

Electric baggage tractor hits engine of a Shanghai-bound Air India flight. (Twitter/ANI Photo)

Air India has instituted an inquiry into the incident and the ground staff involved have been derostered, the airline’s spokesperson GP Rao said.

There were no injuries sustained in the accident, according to Air India.

The incident happened around 11 am when Shanghai-bound AI 348 was parked at IGI. An electronic tow truck carrying luggage of passengers rammed into one of the engines of the Boeing 787 aircraft.

The flight was scheduled for takeoff at 11.40 am and the airline’s spoksperson said the boarding for the flight had not started by then.

“The electric tow tug carrying baggage came in contact with the engine of a parked aircraft. The aircraft is being inspected for any damage,” Rao said in a statement.

He added that an alternative aircraft was arranged for the flight, which took off from here after a delay of 45 minutes with nearly 210 passengers.