An IndiGo aircraft parked at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) here was hit by a step ladder of rival carrier SpiceJet 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 happened Saturday morning, is being probed by the authorities.
“Unpredictable cyclonic storms engulfing India have posed an enormous challenge for unattended aircraft parked across airports. because of strong winds, VT-IHN of IndiGo was hit by a ladder of SpiceJet at Mumbai, (causing) some damage to wings and engine cowling,” the MIAL spokesperson said.
“This incident occurred at Mumbai airport early this morning. A step ladder belonging to SpiceJet got detached from its parked position and damaged a stationary aircraft belonging to IndiGo,” the IndiGo spokesperson said.
The incident is under investigation by relevant 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 among our aircraft VT-SLA was parked) at the Mumbai airport. On stand C86, an IndiGo aircraft was parked. Both aircraft were not in service at that point,” 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 backward and hit the IndiGo aircraft on the right-wing,” the spokesperson said.
For the latest travel news and updates, Follow and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin!
To get travel updates directly on your mobile, save and send a message at 9461777617 on Whatsapp to start.
Advertisement
Also Read: Ministry of Tourism extends validity period of Approval of Hotels