IndiGo aircraft hit by step ladder at Mumbai airport due to strong winds

IndiGo said SpiceJet's step ladder got detached from its parked position and hit its parked aircraft - the incident, which took place Saturday morning, is being probed by the authorities

Topics
IndiGo Airlines | SpiceJet | Mumbai airport

BS Web Team & Agencies  |  Mumbai 

indigo, airlines, aviation, flights, air craft
The incident is under investigation by relevant authorities, the spokesperson added.

An IndiGo aircraft parked at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai was hit by a step ladder of rival carrier amid strong winds, an official said.

The wing and engine cowling of the aircraft suffered some damage in the incident, a spokesperson of Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) said in a statement.

Due to partial operations, a sizeable number of aircraft are grounded at airports across the country.

IndiGo said SpiceJet's step ladder got detached from its parked position and hit its parked aircraft. The incident, which took place Saturday morning, is being probed by the authorities.

"Unpredictable cyclonic storms engulfing India have posed a huge challenge for unattended aircraft parked across airports. Due to strong winds, VT-IHN of IndiGo was hit by a ladder of at Mumbai, (causing) some damage to wings and engine cowling," the MIAL spokesperson said.

"This incident occurred at early this morning. A step ladder belonging to got detached from its parked position and damaged a stationary aircraft belonging to IndiGo," the IndiGo spokesperson said.

The incident is being investigated by concerned authorities, the spokesperson added.

SpiceJet said its step ladder was well secured and with chocks in place.

"On June 6, a SpiceJet step ladder was parked on stand C87 (where one of our aircraft VT-SLA was parked) at the On stand C86, an IndiGo aircraft was parked. Both aircraft were not in service at that time," a SpiceJet spokesperson said in a statement.

"At around 7.30 am, sudden strong winds picked up. There was no prior weather warning or advisory. SpiceJet's step ladder, which was well secured and with chocks in place, was moved backwards and hit the IndiGo aircraft on the right wing," the spokesperson said.

Read our full coverage on IndiGo Airlines
First Published: Sat, June 06 2020. 15:32 IST