Akasa, SpiceJet planes damaged in taxiway mishap at Delhi airport, probe ordered

A ground safety incident at Delhi airport involving an Akasa Air aircraft and a SpiceJet plane led to damage to both aircraft on Thursday afternoon, prompting an investigation by the aviation regulator DGCA .

According to officials, the incident took place around 2.15 pm at Terminal 1 when the two Boeing 737 aircraft came into contact while moving on the taxiway and apron area.

The SpiceJet aircraft , a Boeing 737 700 operating flight SG 124 from Leh to Delhi, was taxiing towards its parking stand after landing. At the same time, an Akasa Air Boeing 737 MAX 8 , operating flight QP 1406 from Delhi to Hyderabad, was positioned on the apron after pushback.

Officials said the right winglet of the SpiceJet aircraft struck the horizontal tail surface of the Akasa Air plane , resulting in structural damage to both aircraft. Both jets have since been grounded for inspection and assessment .

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that it has launched a detailed probe into the incident and is examining the sequence of events that led to the contact on the taxiway.

Akasa Air stated that its aircraft was stationary at the time of the incident and that all passengers and crew were safely disembarked. The airline also confirmed that the matter has been reported to the relevant authorities in line with standard safety protocols.

SpiceJet, in its statement, said its aircraft was involved in a ground occurrence during taxiing, which led to damage and subsequent grounding.

Authorities are yet to confirm the number of passengers onboard at the time of the incident, while investigation proceedings continue.