NEW DELHI: Preliminary findings by various stakeholders at the airport have revealed that the driver of the ground handling company, Bird Flight Services, who transported the baggage tug with four empty containers to the parking bay of Air Mauritius plane, fled from the Delhi airport on Thursday morning after the flight accident and switched off his mobile. The engine of flight AI101 had ingested a container damaging the engine at 5.27 am, said airport sources.
It has also come to light that a helper too was with the driver on the vehicle. A loud thud was heard when the container dolly fell but it was missed by the two Wing men and the Marshaller hired by the airport, who are supposed to be the eyes of any pilot to guide him in steering the plane safely after it lands or before take off.
Finally, the driver returned to the airport by evening and deposed in front of the officials of the aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which is probing the incident. The regulator and airport authorities were on the lookout for the driver who vanished since morning. “From his version to airport authorities, we understand that he never realised a container had fallen off until he reached the Air Mauritius plane for transporting them. He then saw the baggage tug was open and panicked when he realised one out of four containers was missing as it was his responsibility. Shortly, he heard from someone about the accident and decided to abscond to escape being held guilty for the episode,” the source said.
The source added the driver had claimed to all that he had fully secured the tug before moving and there was no negligence on his part. “The DGCA has called him and other company representatives again on Friday,” he added.
An airport source told this newspaper, “The probe into the incident has been complicated by the fact that the CCTV footage is proving to be of no use as the images are bleak due to the fog and poor visibility.”
Senior pilots point out to negligence on the part of the two Wing men and the Marshaller. “When the plane goes from the taxi to the parking lot, these men stand at the apron one on the side of each wing of the plane. The pilot can only see the view in front of him. They have given the pilot clearance that it was okay to move the plane on the right and the left side. It is done with a Thumbs Up sign during daytime and with a Green torch during nights or in conditions of poor visibility. Additionally, there is a Marshaller who is also supposed to guide the plane when parking. They are hired by the airport and what were they doing? How did the three of them not see the fallen container?” asked a representative of the All India Pilots Association.
There are also AirSide markings (Red Line) which is close to the space where the plane travels. No object or vehicle is permitted inside it, he added.
Company responds
A spokesperson of the baggage handler, Bird Flight Services, told this reporter, “We can confirm the containers were empty. The operator halted within the stipulated area and followed the instructions of the Marshaller. He did not violate the airside markings. Neither the operator nor the helper next to him heard the sound of the container falling. Nor did the Wing men. After the investigation is concluded, we will take appropriate corrective and preventive measures to ensure such incidents are not repeated.”
Another senior pilot told this reporter that if 'Follow Me’ vehicles (cars which guide the plane) were deployed, this incident would not have happened and questioned why the airport did not supply them in these foggy conditions. An airport source said, “These are given only at the request of the pilot of the airline and we did not get any such request.”
History of engine-ingestion scares in Indian aviation
December 17, 2015: Air India technician Ravi Subramanian was sucked into the engine of Flight AI 619 at Mumbai airport during pushback. The flight was bound for Hyderabad. A misunderstanding by the co-pilot, who mistook a wingman’s gesture as clearance to start the engine, led to the fatal accident.
January 13, 2021: An IndiGo flight carrying 233 passengers from Srinagar to Delhi ingested snow while taxiing at Srinagar International Airport. Cleared snow had been dumped in a corner of the tarmac and was drawn into the engine. All passengers were safe.
April 29, 2018: An Air India flight from Delhi to Srinagar ingested a weather balloon shortly after take-off. The aircraft, carrying 180 passengers, returned safely to Delhi. No injuries were reported.
May 21, 2025: IndiGo flight 6E 2142 from Delhi to Srinagar encountered a severe hailstorm, causing extensive damage to the aircraft’s nose cone. The plane landed safely in Srinagar.