Coach, tanker collide at airport

A major tragedy was averted at the Indira Gandhi International Airport when an airline passenger coach collided with a fuel tanker on Saturday.
The windshields of both the vehicles were damaged in the accident but no one was injured.
Sources at the airport said the fuel tanker, belonging to an Oil PSU, was filled with aviation turbine fuel (ATF) when it hit the Kingfisher Airlines passenger coach.
Though the passengers inside the coach and the drivers were not injured, the result could have been disastrous if the ATF had caught fire. The incident happened right outside the domestic departure terminal 1A, which could have been destroyed, sources said.
The incident occurred when the passenger coach driver was trying to park the vehicle in front of terminal 1A’s boarding gate.
Both Kingfisher Airlines and airport operator Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd. (DIAL) confirmed the incident.
“If the tanker was hit by the coach on the side or rear, both the vehicles would have blown up. There would have been far more casualties, as the vehicles were next to a terminal,” said an airport source.
“There was no space near the boarding gate, as coaches of other airlines were lined up there. The driver overtook a vehicle to park at the next slot when the fuel tanker was coming from the opposite direction,” said an eyewitness who did not want to be named.
The damage was limited, as the brakes were applied just in time, sources said. The road takes a curve after the boarding area and was the reason why the drivers couldn’t see the other vehicle till they came close.
26/08/08 Sidhartha Roy/Hindustan Times

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Categories: Airports Aug 2008, Kingfisher Aug 2008, Safety Aug 2008