Bizarre accident at Kolkata airport: 'ATC should not have allowed the aircraft to taxi'
Times of India | 28 March 2024
KOLKATA: Both planes were forced to abandon departure and return to the parking bay for inspection. The Darbhanga-bound passengers were later accommodated on another IndiGo fight and AI Express passengers were offered seats in other Chennai-bound flights.
IndiGo in a statement described the incident as a 'minor graze'. "The aircraft returned to bay for inspection and necessary action as per protocol.An incident report will be submitted to DGCA in due course," an IndiGo official said.
An AI Express spokesperson said: "The wingtip of a taxiing aircraft of another airline grazed one of our aircraft, which was stationary and awaiting clearance to enter the runway at Kolkata for a scheduled operation to Chennai. The aircraft has since returned to the bay and further investigation is underway, for which we are coordinating with the regulator and airport authorities."
While the co-pilot of the IndiGo plane, who is seated to the right of the captain in the cockpit is required to give the "clear right" call after checking the wing tips of the two planes through the cockpit window, pilots of various airlines said the captain should also have been extremely cautious as he could see the other plane at the holding point to his right. "Perhaps, the AI Express plane was on hold well before the holding point. But it was the responsibility of the IndiGo pilots to ensure that they negotiated safely," a pilot said.
But what has left veteran pilots puzzled is how ATC allowed the IndiGo aircraft to proceed on taxiway N4 when the AI Express plane was holding on taxiway A. "Kolkata airport has an advanced system that tracks the movement of aircraft and other vehicles on the ground. The controller was aware that the AI Express plane was on hold at the precise point. ATC should not have allowed the IndiGo plane to taxi on N4 at all," another pilot said.