Pushcart collision damages Air India at Dhaka airport

Staff Reporter:

An Air India A320 aircraft suffered damage to its nose landing gear after being hit by a pushcart operated by Biman’s ground handling team on Saturday, allegedly due to operator negligence.
As a result, the scheduled flight had to be cancelled.

Flight AI 238 was slated to depart for Delhi at 9:30pm from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA). Biman spokesperson Bosra Islam told media that the driver responsible has been removed from airport duties and issued a show-cause notice, adding that the process of suspending him is already underway.

A probe committee has also been formed to investigate the incident.

Airport officials said that all 126 passengers had already boarded and the aircraft doors were shut when a ground handler from the GSE unit began using a pushcart to lift the nose gear.During the operation, a severe jolt occurred due to a handling error, causing the nose wheel to snap immediately.

The aircraft was subsequently grounded. Passengers were offloaded and taken to a hotel; on Sunday morning, some were accommodated on another flight bound for Mumbai.

Sources added that the damage occurred because the tubeless pushcart made contact with the wheel at an incorrect alignment. Repairs may take a significant amount of time, and authorities are currently assessing the overall extent of the damage.