Air India A350 suffers engine damage after baggage container incident

Air Indiarsquos newest Airbus A350 aircraft operating a DelhindashNew York flight with more than 250 passengers on board suffered damage to its right engine after ingesting an improperly secured baggage container while taxiing to its parking bay at the Delhi airport sources told news agency PTI on WednesdayView this post on InstagramA post shared by midday middayindiaThe incident occurred as Flight AI101 was taxiing in dense fog after returning to the national capital shortly after takeoff following the unexpected closure of Iranian airspace No injuries were reportedEngine ingestion refers to a situation where a jet engine draws in a foreign object such as baggage containers tools debris or birds instead of clean air Unverified visuals circulating online showed damage to the aircraftrsquos rightside engineThe aircraft has been grounded for repairs adding to Air Indiarsquos shortage of widebody aircraft with one of its six A350s already out of service PTI reportedThe Directorate General of Civil Aviation DGCA has launched an investigation to determine how the foreign object came to be on the taxiwayldquoAir India confirms that Flight AI101 operating from Delhi to New York JFK was forced to return to Delhi shortly after takeoff due to the unexpected closure of Iranian airspace which impacted its planned route Upon landing in Delhi the aircraft encountered a foreign object while taxiing in dense fog resulting in damage to the right enginerdquo the airline said in a statementPreliminary probe points to baggage container falling on taxiway in low visibilityWhile Air India did not specify the foreign object PTI sources said it was an improperly secured baggage containerldquoThe aircraft was safely positioned at the designated parking stand ensuring the safety of all passengers and crew on boardrdquo the airline addedA spokesperson for the civil aviation ministry said the aircraft landed safely on Runway 28 and while taxiing towards the apron area at the NN4 taxiway junction the right engine ingested a cargo container causing substantial damageldquoThe incident occurred around 0525 IST As per information visibility at the time was marginal Preliminary investigation has revealed that a BWFS tug transporting containers to the Baggage Makeup Area of Terminal 3 crossed the intersection via the vehicular lanerdquo the spokesperson saidDGCA probe finds container left on taxiway during ground movementldquoDuring the crossing one container toppled onto the taxiway intersection and was ingested by the No 2 engine of the Air India A350 aircraftrdquo the spokesperson addedAfter clearing metal debris from the area the aircraft was parked at stand 244Providing further details a DGCA official said the area near bay 242 was designated for Air Mauritius ground support equipment parkingWhile a BWFS Bird Worldwide Flight Services tug was transporting containers to this area a wheel of the container dolly reportedly came off causing a container to fall onto the taxiwayAlthough the equipment operator noticed the Air India aircraft taxiing in and moved the remaining dollies away the fallen container was left behind and was subsequently ingested by the aircraft engine the official saidAir India said the aircraft has been grounded for a thorough investigation and that there could be potential disruptions on select routes operated using the A350 fleetPowerful engine suction closed Iranian airspace add to operational strainStrict groundhandling protocols are in place at airports particularly when aircraft engines are running after landing However officials said lapses may have occurred leading to this rare incident In December 2015 an Air India technician was sucked into an aircraft engine at Mumbai airportJet engines generate powerful suction especially during taxiing or takeoff Any foreign object entering the engine can damage fan blades or cause internal structural stress often requiring the engine to be shut down for inspection or replacementFlighttracking data showed the aircraft registered as VTJRB departed Delhi at 236 am and was cruising over Ahmedabad airspace when Iran closed its airspace blocking its planned overflight mdash a key corridor for westbound transatlantic flightsWith no viable alternative route available at that stage the crew took the precautionary decision to return to DelhiAs a result of the airspace shutdown Air India also cancelled two other flights mdash DelhindashNewark and MumbaindashNew York JFKIranian airspace is a crucial transit corridor for longhaul flights between South Asia Europe and North America due to its fuelefficient routing Iran closed its airspace to commercial flights for over four hours early Thursday amid tensions with the United States over its crackdown on nationwide protestsWhile several international carriers diverted flights north and south of Iran the closure later expired after an extension A prolonged shutdown would have further strained Indian carriers already dealing with longer flight times and higher fuel costs due to the continued closure of Pakistani airspaceSources said the aircraftrsquos right engine sustained significant damage in the incidentExpressing regret over the inconvenience caused Air India said it is proactively assisting affected passengers with alternative travel arrangements and refunds as per their preferenceWith PTI inputs