A minor mishap occurred at the Vijayawada International Airport at Gannavaram when an Air India Express aircraft hit a light pole while taxiing. No passenger or crew member was hurt in the incident.
The international flight (IX1676) which flew in from Doha (Qatar) landed around 5.10 p.m. with about 63 passengers on board. When the aircraft left the runway and was moving to the parking bay where passengers would alight and board a bus to the terminal, its wing hit a huge light pole on its right side as an acute turn was made.
The pole got uprooted under the impact and the aircraft’s wing was damaged.
Airport director G. Madhusudhana Rao said no injuries were reported and all the passengers and crew members were safe.
He said the incident did not impact the airport operations and everything was normal.
About 20 of the passengers in the flight belong to Krishna and nearby districts and the flight was supposed to leave for Tiruchirapalli (Trichy) airport in Tamil Nadu.
As the aircraft was grounded following the incident, the remaining Tiruchirapalli-bound passengers were sent to their destinations by other planes arranged by Air India.
The authorities concerned are inquiring into the causes of the mishap.