An Air India A320 jet was grounded and its planned journey cancelled when its front landing gear – the nosewheel – sustained damage from a mishap involving a pushcart operated by the ground services team of Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
The flight, numbered AI 238, was set to leave Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport bound for Delhi at 9:30pm on Saturday.
Airport officials reported that the incident occurred after all 126 passengers were onboard and the aircraft doors were sealed. An employee from Biman’s Ground Support Equipment (GSE) division was using a pushcart to raise the jet’s nose wheel when an erroneous, forceful shove caused a significant impact.
This immediately fractured the nose wheel, leading to the aircraft being taken out of service. The travelers were subsequently deplaned and transported to a hotel. By Sunday, some of the passengers were transferred to Mumbai via a separate Air India service.
Air India has officially requested financial remuneration from Biman’s administration. The impaired jet is currently stored in an airport bay.
Witness accounts indicate the damage happened as the pushcart, which lacked tubeless tires, made improper contact with the alignment ring. They confirmed the event was a direct result of the operator’s carelessness and failure to follow procedure. The repair process is expected to be lengthy, and Biman is currently evaluating the total damages.
In a statement, Biman’s Managing Director and CEO, Md Shafiqul Rahman, confirmed that the employee in question has been removed from airport duties and given a show-cause notice. He further stated that the operator “will be suspended on Monday.”
He said a committee has been formed to ascertain the extent of damage to the Air India aircraft caused by the pushcart’s impact.
