Close Call at Kolkata Airport as Runaway Vehicle Crashes Into IndiGo Plane

An IndiGo Airbus A320 aircraft parked at Kolkata airport sustained minor damage after a vehicle ferrying Oberoi catering officials collided with its right engine on Tuesday night.

The incident occurred at parking bay number 51 in the apron area. According to airport sources, the driver of the vehicle had forgotten to apply the hand brake before getting down, following which the vehicle rolled forward and struck the aircraft engine.

There were no passengers or crew on board at the time.

Airport authorities have initiated an inquiry into the incident. The aircraft has since been grounded and is undergoing thorough inspections and necessary maintenance before it is cleared for operations.

"We will be closely working with the authorities to investigate this," the airline said.

“The aircraft was scheduled to operate flight 6E 6663 from Calcutta to Guwahati. An alternate aircraft has been arranged to operate the flight,” said an IndiGo spokesperson.

The development comes amid a series of recent aviation-related incidents. On Monday night, an Air India Express aircraft was hit by a stepladder during rain and storm conditions, an official said.

In February, the wingtips of two passenger aircraft came in contact while taxiing at Mumbai airport. The planes involved were IndiGo flight 6E 791 and Air India flight AI 2732. All passengers were safe.

In August last year, an IndiGo Airbus A321 aircraft experienced a tail strike in Mumbai while powering up for a go-around manoeuvre at low altitude. The incident was attributed to bad weather.