Aerobridge incident: Operator derostered

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has initiated an inquiry into an incident where a Kingfisher aircraft was hit and its door damaged by an aerobridge at the newly built Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Tuesday.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has initiated an inquiry into an incident where a Kingfisher aircraft was hit and its door damaged by an aerobridge at the newly built Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Tuesday.

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Taking initial action, a DGCA inspecting team derostered the aerobridge operator.

About 124 passengers and six crew members had boarded the plane, headed for Bengaluru, when the incident took place.

Since the aircraft has been grounded and cannot operate before being repaired, the airline has demanded compensation from Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).

"Kingfisher has written a letter to the DGCA and demanded compensation for damage as the aircraft cannot be used for commercial operations now," said a DGCA source, on condition of anonymity.

The DGCA team found that instead of being pulled backward, the aerobridge moved forward and damaged the aircraft.

Meanwhile, DIAL's safety team is also investigating the matter.

"As per procedure, the aerobridge operator has been derostered pending completion of the investigation by DGCA and DIAL," said a DIAL spokesperson.

No passenger or member of the crew on board the aircraft was hurt in the accident.