5 July 2022 06:25 am Views - 8797
A Turkish Airlines cargo A-330-300 Airbus type aircraft suffered damages at the Katunayake International Airport last Sunday night (3) while taking off, airport sources said.
This aircraft landed at the airport at around 9.00 pm on Sunday with a cargo of goods from Istanbul, Turkey.
Later, the aircraft was preparing to take off from Katunayake Airport to Istanbul at around 11.30 pm on the same day carrying a cargo of garments weighing 45 MT.
Because of the strong windy conditions at the airport and the surrounding area, the container which was brought to be loaded into the aircraft began to dangle and hit the aircraft's engine on its wing due to strong winds.
The airport ground handling operators allegedly parked the forklift loader near the aircraft without applying the brakes firmly. This led to the container swinging towards the plane engine due to strong winds.
Due to this incident, the second turbine on the right-wing of this aircraft suffered damage.
The Turkish aviation authorities have not taken any necessary steps to restore the damaged engine of this plane, sources said.
However, it was reported that due to inefficient and irresponsible ground handling at the Katunayake International Airport by the ground handling staff and due to the lack of fuel for the aircraft at the airport, Turkish Airlines authorities are currently considering suspending flight operations between the two countries. (T.K.G. Kapila)