NEW DELHI, Mar 27: Hundreds of passengers in two aircrafts had a narrow escape after the planes came dangerously close to each other on the runway at the Kolkata airport on Wednesday morning.
A Darbhanga-bound IndiGo aircraft, taxiing at the Kolkata Airport, hit a stationary Air India Express flight waiting for clearance to enter the runway. A part of the Air India Express aircraft’s wing that was hit fell on the runway, while the IndiGo aircraft’s wing was dented.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has off-rostered both the IndiGo A320 VT-ISS pilots and ordered a detailed probe. “We have ordered a detailed investigation into the matter and both the pilots of IndiGo airlines have been off-rostered. The ground staff will also be questioned during the investigation. Both the flights have been grounded for detailed inspection,” a DGCA official said.
The IndiGo aircraft had 135 passengers on board, including four infants. “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, per protocol,” the low-cost carrier said, adding that an incident report has been filed with the aviation regulator DGCA.
“Consequently, IndiGo flight 6E 6152 between Kolkata and Darbhanga has been delayed,” it added. Refreshments were given to all passengers and an alternative aircraft was arranged. “IndiGo prioritises passenger safety above all else,” the carrier said.
Speaking about the incident, an Air India Express spokesperson said, “The wingtip of a taxiing aircraft of another airline grazed one of our aircraft, which was stationary and awaiting clearance to enter the runway at Kolkata for a scheduled operation 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.”
The Kolkata airport, in an incident report, said, “At 11:10 am, received information from ATC that one aircraft IX 1886 (VT-TGG) report wingtip vortices hit. Observed wingtip vortices of aircraft IX 1886 are missing and wingtip vortices of aircraft 6E 6152 have dents.”
(Manas Dasgupta)
