Three Air India narrowbody aircraft have been taken out of service after sustaining damage during severe weather at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), prompting an investigation by India’s aviation regulator.
According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), 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 regulator said two pieces of ground support equipment, stationed at adjacent and nearby parking stands, were displaced by powerful winds and struck two separate aircraft at multiple locations, causing structural damage.
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In a separate incident during the same weather event, the right-hand sliding window of another Air India aircraft was damaged after being hit by foreign object debris (FOD), the DGCA said.
All three aircraft have since been grounded for detailed inspections and maintenance checks.
“The aircraft were damaged by ground equipment/foreign object debris (FOD) during adverse weather conditions around 16:30 IST,” the DGCA said, adding that an investigation into the incident is underway.
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Airport operator Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL) also confirmed that three Air India aircraft parked at Terminal 2 were damaged after ground support equipment was blown into them during strong winds and rain.
Earlier the private operator also said that the Air Traffic Control had issued no warning (to the airport operator or airlines) about any change in weather.