E-Paper
IndiGo aircraft brushes wingtip of Air India Express plane at Kolkata airport
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has to launch a probe into the incident at the Kolkata airport and off-rostered two IndiGo pilots
An IndiGo aircraft brushed the wingtip of a Chennai-bound Air India Express plane with 169 passengers on board when it was awaiting clearance to enter the runway at the Kolkata airport around 10.30am on Wednesday, prompting regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to launch a probe and off-roster two pilots.
“We have initiated a probe into the incident and have also off-rostered the IndiGo pilots. No passenger was injured in the incident,” a DGCA official said.
An Air India Express spokesperson said the wingtip of a taxiing aircraft of another airline grazed one of their planes, which was stationary and awaiting clearance to fly to Chennai. “The aircraft has since returned to the bay and further investigation is underway, for which we are coordinating with the regulator and airport authorities. We apologise for the inconvenience caused to guests due to external circumstances.”
An IndiGo spokesperson said that their aircraft was inspected after it returned to the bay after the incident. “A minor graze between a taxiing IndiGo aircraft and that of another carrier was reported from Kolkata Airport. The aircraft returned to the bay for inspection and necessary action as per protocol. Consequently, IndiGo flight 6E 6152 between Kolkata and Darbhanga was delayed.”
IndiGo said refreshments were provided to all passengers and an alternate aircraft was arranged to minimise delay and inconvenience to the passengers. “IndiGo prioritises passenger safety above all else. An incident report will be submitted to DGCA in due course, as per protocol,” the IndiGo spokesperson added.
A Kolkata airport official said that Air India Express de-boarded its passengers as the aircraft had to be grounded. “The passengers are at the airport and are awaiting the arrival of an alternate aircraft.”
