DGCA probes damage to three Air India aircraft at Delhi airport amid strong winds

The DGCA is investigating damage to three parked Air India aircraft at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport after ground support equipment struck them during sudden strong winds and rain. All affected A320 planes have been grounded for inspection and repairs

Mumbai: Aviation safety regulator DGCA is investigating the incident in which three parked Air India aircraft were damaged at Delhi International airport after being hit by ground support equipment on Sunday, an official statement said on Monday.

All three aircraft have been grounded for inspection and maintenance, it said. Three Air India narrowbody aircraft parked at Terminal 2 of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport were damaged on Sunday when ground support equipment hit them due to sudden strong wind and rain, the airport operator said.

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“Three Air India A320 aircraft parked at the Delhi Airport terminal-“II were damaged by ground equipment/foreign object debris (FOD) during adverse weather conditions around 16:30 hours (on Sunday),” the statement said.

Due to strong winds, two ground equipment positioned at adjacent stand and in nearby areas moved from their locations and hit two different aircraft at various positions causing damage, according to the statement.

In addition, it said the right-hand sliding window of another aircraft was damaged in the impact. The ground equipment belonging to Air India Engineering and IndiGo moved from their position due to the sudden inclement weather, hitting the aircraft parked at Terminal 2, the airport operator had said on Saturday.