A ground incident at Delhi airport on Thursday afternoon led to two aircraft being grounded after their wings came into contact on the taxiway, officials said. The collision involved planes operated by Akasa Air and SpiceJet at Terminal 1 around 2.15 pm.
According to officials, the Akasa Air aircraft was taxiing for take-off while the SpiceJet plane, which had arrived from Leh, was moving towards the parking stand when the contact occurred. The Akasa aircraft was scheduled to operate flight QP-1406 from Delhi to Hyderabad.
In a statement, Akasa Air said its aircraft had to return to the bay following the incident. Preliminary information suggested the plane was stationary when another aircraft made contact with it. The airline added that all passengers and crew were safely disembarked, and the matter has been reported to relevant authorities for investigation.
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737 MAX 8, according to officials. Meanwhile, SpiceJet said its Boeing 737-700 aircraft sustained damage to its right winglet, while the Akasa aircraft’s left-hand horizontal stabiliser was also impacted.
Both airlines confirmed that the aircraft have been grounded in Delhi following the incident. Authorities are now examining the circumstances that led to the taxiway collision.