NEW DELHI: In what could have been an extremely worrying incident had the flight already been boarded, an Ethiopian Airlines plane was dragged several feet during a squall that swept IGI Airport on Saturday evening. The Boeing 737 hit a parked steel ladder, damaging its radar system.
The incident was reported at 7pm when a squall with wind speed of 85kmph hit the airport. "The aircraft, with registration number ETAPK, was parked at bay R-04 of the international terminal. The plane was shifted back by 15-20 feet in the cross winds. This should not have happened as parked aircraft are usually held by stoppers at their wheels to ensure that they do not move. The directorate general of civil aviation has ordered an inquiry into the incident," said an airport source.
Sources said that when the plane moved, it hit a ladder that was lying next to it. "The top of the ladder crashed into the aircraft and damaged the radar system. The airline had to arrange another flight," they said.
The flight would have operated as ET 687 from Delhi to Addis Ababa with a scheduled departure of 3.10am. The airline had to divert a Shanghai flight which finally took off at 6.05am with 268 passengers on board.
DGCA director Ravi Krishna and the director safety are expected to inspect the site on Monday. The airline is also carrying out an inspection.
Sources said, "It could have been an extremely dangerous situation had the aircraft been boarded or if there was some personnel next to it. Such strong winds have been experienced at the airport even in the past but a stray aircraft like the Boeing could have hit against anything," said sources.
The airline could not be contacted for comments.