Three planes damaged after storm sends unsecured gear crashing into aircraft

Three planes were damaged when violent winds sent airport equipment hurtling across the tarmac and crashing into them.

Footage filmed through a terminal window shows heavy rain and powerful gusts battering the airport yesterday afternoon.

At one point, a set of boarding stairs was blown across the tarmac, prompting several ground staff in hi-vis jackets to sprint after it.

A driverless ground support vehicle could also be seen being pushed across the tarmac, passing just feet from stationary aircraft.

Three Air India Airbus A320S at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, India, were damaged during the sudden storm.

All three aircraft were empty at the time, and no injuries were reported.

Airport officials said a step ladder and a trestle were blown into the planes by the strong winds.

A source from IndiGo told local media the trestle had been secured but came loose during the severe weather.

Air Traffic Control failed to warn the airport operator or airlines about the deteriorating conditions.

All three aircraft were withdrawn from service following the incident.

Two are expected to return to operation this week, while repairs to the third are likely to take several days longer.

The step ladder and trestle were reportedly badly damaged, but no injuries were reported.

It isn’t the first weather-related mishap involving an Air India aircraft at Indira Gandhi International Airport.

In January, a new Airbus A350 was damaged after ingesting an unsecured baggage container while taxiing following a flight from New York in dense fog.

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