272 passengers forced to disembark after SIA plane hits aerobridge
Passengers on a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam on Tuesday had to disembark after the plane hit an aerobridge at Changi airport.
Flight SQ178, scheduled to depart at 9.45am, had just left the gate and was being pushed back by a tow tug when the mishap occurred.
Confirming the incident, an SIA spokesman told The Straits Times that the front of the Airbus 330-300 hit one of the two aerobridges that had been used for boarding.
All 272 passengers and 12 crew who were on board the aircraft eventually disembarked via the aerobridge that was not hit, she said. A replacement aircraft was arranged and the flight left Singapore some two hours later, around noon.
"Damage to the aircraft is being assessed and investigations will be carried out to determine how the incident occurred," the spokesman said.
Changi Airport Group (CAG) spokesman Ivan Tan said: "Changi Airport's ground personnel provided assistance to the affected passengers. CAG will work with the relevant parties on the investigations."
There was slight damage to the aerobridge, which has since been repaired, he said.
Airports are increasingly turning to automated tarmac vehicles to mitigate the risk of human factors causing such accidents. - THE STRAITS TIMES
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