Cargo container hits Akasa Air passenger plane at Mumbai airport

The mishap resulted in damage to the right winglet but no injuries to any employee or passenger have been reported in the incident

Mumbai: In a serious safety issue and aviation protocols, a cargo truck hit an Akasa Air passenger aircraft at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai on Monday resulting in damage to the right winglet.

No injuries to any employee or passenger have been reported in the incident, said officials of the Akasa Air and Mumbai Airport.

The BWFS cargo container vehicle hit the Akasa airline aircraft at Bay A-7 at the Terminal-1 of the CSMIA.

The incident Akasa Airlines flight QP1410 at 0705 hrs, scheduled from Mumbai to Delhi.

“While the aircraft was positioned at bay A-7, a BWFS cargo container vehicle collided with the right-side wing of the aircraft, resulting in damage to the winglet and the container,” officials said.

The aircraft had earlier arrived as flight QP1736 from Bengaluru to Mumbai and was parked at Bay A-7.

“During unloading operations, a BWFS cargo container vehicle, while turning towards the front side of the aircraft to unload goods, accidentally hit the right-side wing of the aircraft,” they said.

Akasa Air arranged a replacement aircraft, which was parked at Bay V17R and undertook the flight.

The aircraft is being inspected.

“A third party ground handler, while operating a cargo truck, came in contact with an Akasa Air aircraft that was parked at CSMIA. The aircraft is currently undergoing a thorough inspection," Akasa Air said in a statement.

The plane involved is a Boeing 737-Max, which has relatively high wings and the driver seems to have misjudged the height.