Aerobridge slams into Air India aircraft door

In a major breach of safety at the Mumbai international airport the door of a Mangalore-bound Air India flight IC 179 - with 172 passengers and six crew members aboardu00a0 - collided with the aerobridge.

No passenger or crew member on board were reportedly hurt in the incident.

The incident took place at 11.30 am when the ground staff was trying to withdraw the aerobridge after passengers and crew had boarded and flight attendants had deplaned the domestic flight.

But due to miscommunication between the pushback and aerobridge operators, the Airbus A321 aircraft door was damaged.

Apparently the aircraft left before the aerobridgeu00a0 - the elevated carrier that connects aircraft with airport for passengers to board - was removed. This severely damaged the 600-pound door of the airline.

The spokesperson for Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) said, "There has been a miscommunication between the aerobridge and pushback operator."

The DGCA has already initiated an inquiry and corrective action will be taken once they hear the communication between the pilot, aerobridge operator and the pushback operator.

Sources say that it's a mechanised process and such an incident cannot occur without miscommunication.

Process
- Passengers pass through the aerobridge into the airplane
- The pilot informs the aerobridge operator that people have boarded
- The aerobridge operator withdraws the bridge
- The pushback operator closes the door of the airplane