Akasa Air plane hit by cargo truck at Mumbai airport
Aksara Air has started an investigation after a third-party cargo truck collided with the parked plane at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport
An Akasa Air plane was hit by a cargo truck at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Monday (July 14). Following the incident, the airlines have initiated an inspection of the aircraft.
Third-party ground handler
Akasa Air stated that the cargo truck was being operated by a third-party ground handler when it came into contact with the parked aircraft. The airline said that they have started an investigation, and the aircraft was being thoroughly inspected.
“A third-party ground handler, while operating a cargo truck, came in contact with an Akasa Air aircraft that was parked at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai,” the airline spokesperson said as quoted by the Hindustan Times.
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Probe ordered
The spokesperson further stated that the aircraft was undergoing a thorough inspection, and the airline was investigating this incident with the third-party ground handler. However, the damage to the aircraft is yet to be ascertained.
In the wake of the deadly Air India crash in Ahmedabad, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had conducted inspections at the Delhi and Mumbai airports and found that several vehicles in the ramp were not equipped with speed governors.
According to a Times of India report, the vehicles were then withdrawn, and their permits were cancelled along with their drivers’ airport driving licenses.
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DGCA order
The report further stated that in a bid to reduce ground accidents at Indian airports, six years ago, the DGCA stated that the operators must ensure that their vehicles were safe to drive, adding that the drivers possess the required knowledge of airside driving rules.
"In order to curb ground incidents at airports, DGCA has developed a detailed checklist to benchmark safety standards on the airside of the airport, checking ground facilities like equipment, passenger boarding bridge, condition of apron/ marking/ lighting, availability of foreign object debris bins." Stated a 2019 DGCA order as quoted in the report.