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The driver of a tow truck is being blamed for an accident at OR Tambo International Airport late on Friday evening.
The wing tip of an Airbus A320 of the South African Airways (SAA) that was being towed to its parking bay hit the tail of one of FlySafair’s Boeings.
FlySafair chief marketing officer Kirby Gordon confirmed the incident.
A FlySafair Boeing 737-800 was already parked in front of gate C2 and the SAA plane was queued to park next to it.
Sources at the airport told City Press’ sister publication Rapport that two possibilities for the accident are being investigated: the towing rod came loose, causing the plane to roll forward uncontrolled for about 150m; or the driver of the towing vehicle misjudged when turning.
They also say that if another technician in the cockpit of the plane had acted soon enough, they would have been able to apply the brakes to bring the plane to a halt in time.
According to Gordon, FlySafair technical teams were yesterday still working to determine the extent of the damage.
He said:
Pilots in another plane who saw the incident unfold claim to have seen the technician in the SAA plane either sleeping or not paying attention to what was happening as the plane was being moved.
SAA confirmed the incident yesterday afternoon.
The Airbus’ wing tip was damaged. According to pilots, the wing will need to be properly tested to determine whether there is damage to the structure.
On the tail of the FlySafair aircraft, it appears to be largely the fibreglass cover around the auxiliary power unit that was ripped off.
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The Boeing is one of two jets that FlySafair uses on its flight route to Mauritius. The planes have extra-large fuel tanks for longer flights.
However, SAA is in a much greater predicament, especially as the airline is trying to increase its number of flights.
The carrier has only seven aircraft and plans were in place to acquire two more by next month.
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In the recent past, SAA made considerable efforts to improve its dubious reputation among prospective travellers through an image rejuvenation plan.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced during his mid-term budget policy statement that government was making a further R16.4 billion available to meet SAA’s debt obligations.
Meanwhile, a FlySafair plane on route to Mauritius yesterday morning had to turn back to Johannesburg due to technical problems.
