DGCA explains how Air India plane ‘ingested’ cargo container at Delhi airport after return due to Iran airspace closure

The aircraft was operating on the Delhi-New York route but had to return to the Delhi airport soon after take-off after Iran shut its airspace on Thursday.

Following a freak accident involving an Air India Airbus A350 aircraft at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Thursday morning, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said an investigation has been launched and that the engine of the aircraft suffered damage after a cargo container lying unattended was sucked into the plane’s second engine when it was taxiing amid dense fog.

Images of the damaged engine shared by DGCA (X/DGCA)

“The visibility at the time of incident was marginal. Preliminary investigation has revealed that, a BWFS tug transporting few containers to “Baggage Makeup Area” of Terminal 3 crossed this intersection while on the vehicular lane,” the DGCA said in a statement shared on its X handle. Track Iran unrest updates

The aircraft was operating on the Delhi-New York route but had to return to the Delhi airport shortly after take-off after Iran unexpectedly closed its airspace early on Thursday. The DGCA in its statement said the incident took place at around 5:25 am after it had landed safely following the airspace closure over Iran.

“While taxiing to apron, at taxiway N/N4 intersection, No. 2 engine ingested a cargo container causing substantial damage to engine. The incident occurred around 05:25 IST,” it said.

The aviation regulator further said that one of the containers toppled onto the taxiway intersection and got ingested into the aircraft's engine. “After clearing the metal pieces, the aircraft was parked on stand 244,” it said.

The flight had earlier taken off at 2am before making the unexpected return to the Delhi airport.

Air India's statement

An Air India spokesperson said the airline was assisting passengers with alternative travel arrangements and refunds, as preferred. In a statement, the spokesperson also warned that some of its A350 routes could face disruptions.

“The aircraft is currently grounded for a thorough investigation and necessary repairs, which may cause potential disruptions on select A350 routes,” the spokesperson said.

Air India operates six A350S to destinations including Dubai, Singapore, London, New York, and Newark.

“Air India confirms that Flight AI101, operating from Delhi to New York (JFK), was forced to return to Delhi shortly after takeoff due to the unexpected closure of Iranian airspace, which impacted its planned route,” an Air India statement said.