Delhi-bound Air India flight cancelled after it hits luggage tractor before take-off at Pune airport

A Delhi-bound Air India flight had to abort its take-off and was later cancelled after it hit a luggage tractor trolley while taxiing for departure at the Pune airport, airline sources said on Friday.

The incident occurred around 4 pm on Thursday, they said. There were around 200 passengers on board the flight and following the incident, they got stranded at the airport for around six hours, the sources said.

Air India said passengers were refunded their full fares and offered complimentary rescheduling. Those with onward international connections were accommodated on flights operated by other carriers, it said.

The airline also said that an investigation into the incident has been initiated. Shahab Jafri, a passenger on board the aircraft, said that the flight was scheduled to depart at around 4 pm.

"While taxiing towards the runway for a takeoff, the plane hit a tractor trolley. After the incident, we remained on board for about an hour. The pilot informed us about the incident and subsequently, we were deboarded," he said.

After persistent inquiry, the passengers were informed about alternative flight arrangements, Jafri said. "We were stranded at the airport for almost six hours, between 4 pm and 9.55 pm," he added.

Refreshments were provided to the passengers by around 7.30 pm after they followed up the matter with the airline staff, he said. "The passengers experienced significant inconvenience. Some passengers had connecting flights, and they must have missed those flights undoubtedly," Jafri said. Eventually, their flight departed at 10.20 pm and landed in Delhi around 12.20 am.

In its official statement, Air India did not provide details about what exactly happened, and said that there was an incident related to one of their aircraft, which was to fly from Pune to Delhi, at the time of its pushback.

"The aircraft was held back for checks. All passengers were offloaded safely and the flight was cancelled. Passengers were eventually refunded their full fares and offered complimentary rescheduling. Those with onward international connections were flown to Delhi by other carriers. An investigation into the incident has already been initiated," it stated.