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Air India aircraft and Jet Airways bus separated after 100 hours

Air India's recovery team from the Mumbai Engineering division and the Engineering team of Kolkata used a balloon type equipment to pull the bus from the aircraft engine it had rammed into.

What happens when a bus rams into a stationary Aircraft ?

Well, believe it or not it has been almost 100 hours and the damaged aircraft at Kolkata Airport is yet to be brought to a movable condition.

Nearly five days after a Jet Airways bus rammed into an Air India ATR aircraft at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, Air India's recovery team finally managed to separate the two on Sunday morning.

Bus-Aircraft collision, Kolkata
Damaged right landing gear of the aircraft. (Photo courtesy: Arindam Bhattacharya)

In a joint operation which was initiated on Saturday evening, Air India's recovery team from the Mumbai Engineering division and the Engineering team of Kolkata used a balloon type equipment to pull the bus from the aircraft engine it had rammed into. The operation lasted overnight and was completed this morning.

The development came after a major disaster was averted at the Kolkata airport last week, when the shuttle bus rammed into the Air India ATR aircraft. According to airport officials, the aircraft was parked at Bay no. 32 in the airport and was preparing to leave for Silchar. It was then that the driver of the Jet Airways lost control of the vehicle and rammed into the aircraft close to its left wing, causing crores of rupees worth of damage to the National Carrier.

Bus-Aircraft collision, Kolkata
The aircraft sustained extensive damage on the right engine, right landing gear and also some other parts. (Photo courtesy: Arindam Bhattacharya)

"The aircraft sustained extensive damage on the right engine, right landing gear and also some other parts because of which the flight operations to Silchar and Shillong had to be cancelled. AAI, Police, CISF and other authorities have taken serious note of this gross act of negligence and are investigating the incident," Air India official said.

Though no casualties were reported in the collision, the aircraft's engine suffered severe damage due to the impact. The collision could have led to a major blast had the plane's engine been active. The Air India spokesperson said that the plane is approximately worth Rs 400 crore.

Bus-Aircraft collision, Kolkata
Engineers used a balloon type equipment to pull the bus from the aircraft engine it had rammed into. (Photo courtesy: Arindam Bhattacharya)

Following the incident, Air India cancelled two subsequent flights to the North East.
"A coach transporting Jet Airways cabin crew at the Kolkata airport accidentally collided with a stationary aircraft of another airline. No one was injured in the collision. Jet Airways has started investigations into the incident," a Jet Airways spokesperson said.

While the shuttle bus has been shifted to another place, the aircraft remains on the same spot. Kolkata airport authorities are investigating the matter. It would however be interesting to wait and watch on how many days do the Airport administration take to deal with a crisis.