New Delhi: It can be best described as a freak accident.
The engine of an Air India Airbus A350 aircraft was damaged after sucking in a cargo container while taxiing at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on Thursday.
Air India’s flight AI-101, which was flying from Delhi to New York, had returned to IGI airport after Iranian airspace was closed, impacting its route.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which has launched an investigation into the incident, said that the engine suffered damage after a cargo container lying unattended was sucked into the plane’s second engine when it was taxiing amid dense fog.
“The visibility at the time of incident was marginal. Preliminary investigation has revealed that, a BWFS tug transporting few containers to ‘Baggage Makeup Area’ of Terminal 3 crossed this intersection while on the vehicular lane,” DGCA said in a statement shared on its X handle.
The plane had to return to IGI airport shortly after take-off after Iran suddenly closed its airspace early on Thursday. The DGCA said the incident took place after the plane had landed safely following the airspace closure over Iran.
“While taxiing to apron, at taxiway N/N4 intersection, No. 2 engine ingested a cargo container causing substantial damage to engine. The incident occurred around 05:25 IST,” the statement said.
The aviation regulator further said that one of the containers toppled onto the taxiway intersection and got ingested into the aircraft’s engine. “After clearing the metal pieces, the aircraft was parked on stand 244,” it said.
According to an Air India spokesperson, passengers were assisted with alternative travel arrangements or refunds, as preferred.
However, some of Air India’s A350 routes could face disruptions post the incident.
