AI team reaches Chandigarh to repair grounded plane

CHANDIGARH - A day after an Air India plane was grounded at Chandigarh airport after being hit by a bird, a special team from Mumbai Wednesday arrived here to repair the aircraft.

The plane was grounded after a bird hit its front undercarriage while it was moving towards the terminal building. The plane had 153 passengers on board at the time of the incident.

According to Air India officials, the Mumbai-Delhi-Chandigarh flight had reached here around 2.40 p.m. Tuesday. After making a safe landing, it was moving towards the terminal building when a bird hit it.

“The plane had to return to Mumbai 3 p.m. yesterday (Tuesday). But the flight was cancelled due to safety reasons. However, a special technical team from Mumbai has reached Chandigarh to repair the aircraft. An eagle had entangled in the plane, damaging its front wheel and some wires,” Air India spokesperson M.R. Jindal told IANS Wednesday.

“There is nothing to worry about. We will allow the plane to fly back to Mumbai only after the certification of our technical team. We are hopeful that it will fly back by 4.30 p.m. today (Wednesday),” he added.

Sources in Air India said that the wheels of the aircraft were damaged and some problem had also erupted in its engine. The Indian Air Force (IAF) had provided a tractor to tow the damaged aircraft towards the terminal.

Runway and air traffic control system of Chandigarh airport are managed by the IAF.