On Thursday, the door of an Airbus A-320, readying for take-off was damaged after an aerobridge slammed against the aircraft when the push back vehicle to tow the airplane suddenly moved. The Chennai-bound flight was delayed for more than four hours.
No one was injured in Friday's incident as there were no passengers or cabin crew on board the Boeing 777-200 (Extended Range) aircraft leased by Air India, an airline spokesperson said in New Delhi.
The incident occured during pre-inspection checks by engineers.
"The nose gear failed, prior to positioning of the aircraft for boarding," the spokesperson said.
An alternative aircraft was immediately made available to operate flight AI-717 to Dubai and it took off at 4 pm with the passengers.
The spokesperson said the damaged aircraft was later towed away for repairs.
Thursday's incident occured when a push-back vehicle, which takes the aircraft towards the runway for take-off, started moving before the aerobridge could be detached and the door remaining open. There were about 90 passengers on board flight AI-640.
"The incident happened due to a miscommunication between the pilot and the push-back vehicle. Had the passengers been boarding the plane, there could have been some damage," AI sources said in Mumbai.
Claiming it was a 'minor' incident, an Air India spokesperson said that an internal inquiry had been initiated in the matter.
Reportage: PTI | Photograph: Arun Patil