KARACHI: A Pakistan International Airlines aircraft hit a stationary plane at a Canadian airport early on Wednesday morning (Toronto time 6pm on Tuesday), leaving both airplanes damaged.

According to sources, PIA’s Boeing B 777 aircraft (PK-789) from Lahore landed at Toronto airport on Tuesday evening and was taxiing and coming towards the terminal to let the passengers disembark. While moving near the terminal to reach the arrival gate one its wings hit a parked Air France aircraft.

The sources said that it was raining in Toronto and two ground staffers — marshaling man and a wing walker — were assisting pilot Capt Basharat Chaudhry, yet he hit the stationary aircraft.

The damaged PIA aircraft has been grounded and subsequently the return flight No PK-790 from Toronto to Lahore, which the aircraft had to operate, has been cancelled and passengers have been shifted to a hotel.

The PIA does not have another aircraft readily available and it may take a few days to repair the damaged aircraft. The airline will try to accommodate the passengers in other available flights.

PIA spokesperson Danyal Gilani said the incident apparently occurred because of some error during marshaling by the ground personnel. There is some damage to the equipment which may need replacement. The passengers have been provided hotel accommodation. All steps were being taken for making the aircraft serviceable as soon as possible, he added.

The sources said that this was not the first time that the PIA pilots had hit their aircraft with stationary planes. Mr Chaudhry dropped/broke the door and emergency chute of an aircraft while giving training to cabin crew at Karachi airport some time back.

A former Pakistan Airline Pilots Association (PALPA) official, T. M. Rabbani, had hit the lights fixed on the runway of Kuala Lumpur airport. Incumbent PALPA president Khalid Hamza had hit the terminal building/satellite while parking an aircraft at Karachi airport. Pilot Masood Ahmed, while taxing his aircraft at Manchester, had hit the tail of a stationary aircraft which was waiting for permission to take off.

Published in Dawn January 5th, 2017