One dead, cockpits damaged by ladders swept by winds

NEW DELHI: One person died, five aircraft were damaged and more than 25 flights were diverted in one of the severest thunder squalls to be seen at IGI airport. Winds blowing at 114kmph (approximately) swept away the aircraft's step-ladders, which smashed against the cockpits and damaged them. The turbulence on the ground kept many flights from landing or taking off between 4pm and 6pm on Friday.

Airport sources said a member of the cleaning staff, Pradeep, was killed. Police couldn't verify the cause or circumstances of his death. "We have sent the body for postmortem to ascertain the cause of death. He might have fallen off while cleaning the facade or been crushed by a container that fell on him. We have asked for the CCTV footage from the airport operator," said a senior police officer. Pradeep, who came from Bihar, worked for an agency hired by the operator.

About 10 flights were reported to be delayed. There was little air traffic at the peak of thunder squall between 4pm and 5pm—the airport was virtually closed for 20 minutes—which sees hectic domestic flight operations. More than 25 national and international flights were diverted to other cities because of the turbulence on the runways which made landing risky.

According to an airport official, five aircraft were damaged: two Spicejet, one Air India, one Go Air and a Bluedart aircraft.

The extent of damages could not be verified. Most of the aircraft were reportedly damaged near the cockpit by the step-ladders attached to the doors. An airline official said internal reports had been sought and the causes of damage were being examined.

A similar incident had occurred at IGI on May 10. Strong winds with a speed of over 90kmph had buffeted the airport and caused displacement of an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft from its position.

The aircraft was dragged by a few feet and its cockpit was damaged by the stepladder, which was swept away and hit the body of the aircraft. On May 8, winds blowing at over 95kmph were recorded at the airport.