IndiGo Aircraft Hits Stationary Air India Express At Kolkata Airport, DGCA Takes Pilots Off Roster

The wingtip of an IndiGo aircraft brushed against an Air India Express plane when it was awaiting clearance to enter the runway for its scheduled flight to Chennai.

The wingtip of an IndiGo aircraft brushed against an Air India Express plane. (Representative image)

Source : Getty Images

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday took action by off-rostering the pilots of an IndiGo plane after it collided with a stationary Air India Express aircraft during taxiing in Kolkata airport, news agency ANI reported.

According to a spokesperson from Air India Express, the wingtip of an IndiGo aircraft brushed against one of their stationary planes. The Air India Express aircraft was awaiting clearance to enter the runway for its scheduled flight to Chennai at the time of the incident.

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… pic.twitter.com/vQgcC2vrD1

— ANI (@ANI) March 27, 2024

“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. We apologise for the inconvenience caused to guests due to external circumstances,” the Air India Express spokesperson said in a statement.

Meanwhile, according to officials from the civil aviation ministry, the aviation watchdog has postponed the implementation of the updated flight duty regulations for pilots, which were originally set to come into effect on June 1, PTI reported. One of the officials said that this delay is to allow for broader consultations regarding the revised norms.

These new regulations aim to ensure that pilots have sufficient rest time, thus mitigating pilot fatigue concerns. The decision to defer the implementation comes shortly after the DGCA notified airlines that the deadline for adopting the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms would not be extended.