SpiceJet Pilots Involved In Delhi Airport Collison Taken Off Roster, Investigation Pending

New Delhi: The SpiceJet pilots involved in the collision with Akasa Air aircraft at Delhi's IGI Airport on Thursday has been taken off the roster, with investigation pending against them, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said. Further, the concerned air traffic control officer has also been de-rostered, the ministry added.

SpiceJet B737-700, which had arrived from Leh, was taxiing at the airport when it hit the horizontal tail surface (HTS) of Akasa Air B-737 aircraft, which was standing stationary at the tarmac.

Due to the impact of the collision, the winglet of the SpiceJet aircraft broke and got stuck in the other aircraft, which also suffered minor damages.

Pictures have surfaced showing the right winglet of SpiceJet aircraft stuck onto the Akasa Air plane.

The left-hand horizontal stabiliser of the Akasa plane was also damaged following the minor collision. The aircraft was operating flight QP 1406 from Delhi to Hyderabad when the incident forced it to return to the bay.

The SpiceJet plane was grounded at the airport. Fortunately, no injuries was reported following the incident. An Akasa Air spokesperson said, "All passengers and crew were safely disembarked, and our ground teams are making alternative arrangements to fly our passengers to Hyderabad at the earliest."

Aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched an investigation into the matter.

In February, an Air India and an IndiGo aircraft collided on the ground, with passengers on board, at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. The incident involved Air India flight AI2732, bound for Coimbatore, and IndiGo flight 6E791, arriving from Hyderabad.

According to reports, the right wing tips of both aircraft touched each other while they were taxiing. The incident took place when the Air India plane was pushing back for departure, while the IndiGo flight was taxiing after landing .

Also Read- 2 Planes Collide At Delhi's IGI Airport, Pics Show Broken Winglet