Jet Airways blast stone into Air India windscreen

If you have ever seen a programme on driving around India’s streets you would have noticed how dangerous it looks with hundreds and hundreds of vehicles all jostling for space. It appears as if the runways in the country can also be a hazard for planes as one plane was struck in the windscreen by a stone, which was caused by a plane in front that was firing its engines.

The incident, which happened at the IGI Airport in Delhi, forced the Air India plane to return to the terminal where passengers were disembarked and told to board another plane. The Jet Airways plane was taxing away from the parking bay and gave a test blast of its engines as was travelling. A stone then lifted from the floor and struck the Air India plane and cracked the windscreen. This made the plane unfit for travel until it had been repaired and inspected.

Little disruption was caused to the passengers who were on their way to Mumbai on Sunday and it thought to have been caused by construction that was going on close by. Officials at Air India confirmed the incident and said their passengers were only delayed by two and a half hours. Jet Airways have so far not commented on the event, but this is not thought to be the first such incident of this nature. During jet blasts in the past, other items that have not been properly cleared have also been blown along the taxiway including trolley and ladders.