New Delhi: The commercial aircraft of Air India and Indigo carrying passengers were involved in a ground collision at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Tuesday. The incident has triggered safety checks and travel delays but no injuries were reported.
The incident took place when an Air India aircraft preparing to depart for Coimbatore came into contact with an IndiGo flight that had just landed from Hyderabad. Both planes were on the taxiway at the same time, one was pushing back from the gate while the other was moving after arrival.
As per the airport sources, the aircraft were moving at low speed when their wingtips touched. The passengers on board felt a minor jolt but there was no panic as crew members quickly took control of the situation.
Air India later confirmed the incident stating that its aircraft “came into contact with another airline’s aircraft while waiting on the taxiway prior to take-off.”
According to the airline, the wingtip of its aircraft suffered damage. As a safety measure, the plane has been grounded for technical inspections. All passengers were safely disembarked and moved back to the terminal.
Air India said its ground staff are arranging alternate flights to ensure affected passengers reach Coimbatore as soon as possible. “The incident has been reported to the regulator. We regret the inconvenience caused. Passenger and crew safety remains our highest priority,” the airline added.
IndiGo yet to issue statement
IndiGo has not released an official statement so far on the condition of its aircraft or the next steps taken after the collision. As per the Airport officials standard safety protocols were followed and the aircraft was moved for inspection.
Experts take…
As per the aviation experts, such incidents are uncommon and they can happen at congested airports during pushback of taxiing, especially where space is limited. Wingtip contact is among the more frequent types of ground incidents globally.
Mumbai airport is one of India’s busiest aviation hub which handles hundreds of aircraft movements each day across its intersecting runways. The authorities are expected to review the incident to determine whether procedural changes are required to prevent similar occurrences in the future.