Three Air India narrowbody aircraft parked at Terminal 2 of Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport were damaged on Sunday when strong winds and heavy rain caused ground equipment to collide with them while parked, according to the latest reports. The incident occurred around 4:30 pm IST on June 7, as confirmed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). All three aircraft were taken out of operation after the collision, as reported by the airport operator. The incident involved two pieces of ground support equipment, stationed at adjacent and nearby parking stands, that were displaced by powerful winds and struck two separate aircraft at multiple locations, causing structural damage.
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 private operator stated. No weather warning had been issued by Air Traffic Control (ATC) before the incident occurred, according to sources. This lack of advance warning has raised questions about safety protocols for ground equipment during adverse weather conditions at the airport. The DGCA confirmed that strong winds and heavy rain at Delhi Airport caused ground equipment and debris to hit parked aircraft, highlighting the severity of the weather conditions that day.
An airline source indicated that along with three of Air India planes, aircraft of other operators were also impacted due to the hostile weather conditions. Of the three affected aircraft, two will be back in operations soon while the third will take a little longer to be fixed, according to the source. Air India and airport authorities are yet to issue an official statement on the matter, though the extent of damage to the aircraft is yet to be officially disclosed. No injuries have been reported in the incident.
The incident has prompted an investigation by India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), to determine whether all necessary precautions were in place during the adverse weather conditions. The DGCA confirmed that the incident occurred around 4:30 pm IST on June 7 when three Air India Airbus A320 aircraft parked at Terminal 2 were damaged amid strong winds and adverse weather conditions. The regulatory examination comes as questions mount about whether proper safety protocols were followed during the weather event that caused the ground equipment displacement and subsequent aircraft damage.
