New Delhi: A probe has been initiated after three Air India aircraft parked at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport were damaged when ground support equipment was displaced during sudden adverse weather conditions. 

According to Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), the incident -- which took place on Sunday at Terminal 2 after strong winds accompanied by heavy rainfall -- caused ground handling equipment positioned near parked aircraft to shift from its location and collide with three Air India narrow-body aircraft.

Following the incident, all three aircraft were withdrawn from service to undergo detailed inspections and repairs.

In addition, DIAL said the displaced equipment belonged to Air India Engineering Services and IndiGo’s ground handling operations.

Weather conditions deteriorated rapidly and unexpectedly, adding that neither the airport operator nor airlines had received any advance warning regarding the sudden weather change from Air Traffic Control (ATC), according to airport officials.

However, Air India has not commented on the incident till writing this story.

Moreover, reports claim that an aircraft belonging to other operators was also affected because of the severe weather conditions.

Apart from that, two of the three affected Air India aircraft are expected to return to operations soon, while repairs on the third aircraft may take longer.

The incident comes amid increasing operational challenges posed by sudden weather disruptions, particularly during periods of intense rainfall and strong winds.

Delhi-NCR has witnessed a sudden change in weather as rainfall lashed several parts of the region. During the day, visuals from areas around the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport showed rain sweeping across multiple localities near the airport.

In addition, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted another spell of very light to light rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds reaching up to 60 kmph on June 11 and 12.