A Jet Airways’ shuttle bus on Tuesday rammed into a stationary aircraft owned by Air India at Netaji Subhas International Airport in Kolkata around 5.25 am causing damage worth several crores, airport sources said. The sources added that the driver of the Jet Airways tarmac bus ferrying its crew dozed off and rammed into the vacant stationary plane is likely to be prosecuted. The plane is worth Rs400 crore.
No injuries have been reported in the incident. Driver Momin Ali, who had completed his night shift, confessed of having dozed off triggering the accident. A medical team examining the driver confirmed that he was not drunk, neither had he taken any drug.
Air India subsidiary Alliance Air’s flights to Silchar and Shillong were cancelled as the plane was grounded. Airlines sources said the loss, which is being ascertained, will run into crores. An enquiry has been ordered into incident.
While Air India said the incident was a “gross act of negligence”, Jet Airways claimed that the coach accidentally collided with the stationary aircraft.
In a separate statement, Jet Airways said, “No one was injured in the collision” and it has started investigation into the incident.
“A coach transporting Jet Airways cabin crew at the Kolkata airport accidentally collided with a stationary aircraft of another airline,”it added.