The wingtip of an IndiGo aircraft grazed the wings of an Air India Express plane at the Kolkata airport on Wednesday morning. The wing tips of both planes were damaged in the incident.
The IndiGo flight was flying to Darbhanga, while the Air India Express plane was Chennai-bound.
The incident took place at 11.10 am. Both the aircrafts had passengers on board at the time of the accident. There were no casualties in the accident.
According to sources, 163 passengers were on board the Air India Express plane, accompanied by six cabin crew. Meanwhile, IndiGo flight 6E 6152 from Kolkata to Darbhanga had 149 passengers onboard the plane along with six cabin crew.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has been informed about the incident. The aviation regulatory body has initiated a high-level investigation into the matter. The DGCA had de-rostered two IndiGo pilots involved in the incident, a senior DGCA official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Air India Express in a statement 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 airline said the aircraft has since returned to the bay and further investigation is underway.
IndiGo also released a statement on the accident.
“A minor graze between a taxiing IndiGo aircraft and that of another carrier was reported from Kolkata Airport. The aircraft returned to bay for inspection and necessary action, as per protocol,” IndiGo said in a statement.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) said that the wingtip vortices of both planes were badly damaged.
(With Inputs from Arindam Bhattacharya, PTI)
Aisha Patel is a dedicated Indian correspondent with a deep understanding of the nation’s diverse affairs. With a background in Indian culture, politics, and current events, she provides in-depth analysis and timely reporting on domestic issues within India.
