WINDHOEK – A South African Airways (SAA) Airbus A330 almost caused a near fatal accident when it rammed into Air Namibia’s new Airbus A330-200 parked at Hosea Kutako International Airport on Friday.
The accident, which happened between 15h00 and 16h00, caused damage to one of the Namibian aircraft’s wings and also damaged the wing of the SAA Airbus.
According to Air Namibia’s General Manager for Commercial Services, Xavier Masule, the practice at Hosea Kutako is that arriving aeroplanes are guided to their parking apron by marshals employed by the Namibia Airports Company (NAC). “We do not know what happened in this case, for the one aeroplane to bump into the Air Namibia plane,” he told New Era yesterday.
Sources at the airport say it appeared that ground marshals directed the SAA aeroplane to a narrow parking spot near the parked Air Namibia aircraft, causing the accident between the two.
The Directorate of Aircraft Accident Investigations in the Ministry of Works and Transport is currently investigating the accident.
Masule said it was difficult to say what the cost of the damage is but was quick to add that Air Namibia’s engineering department is currently assessing the extent of the damage and the cost.
Aviation experts opine that the Namibian aircraft is likely to have incurred more damage compared to its SAA counterpart because it was stationary.
Masule would neither confirm nor deny the accident happened as a result of inadequate parking and apron facilities at Hosea Kutako International Airport.
“This is a serious thing. Aeroplanes shouldn’t be bumping into each other. It’s really unacceptable,” he said, adding that the situation could have been worse.
Masule said although the Namibian Airbus A330-200 aircraft could fly out to Frankfurt on Friday after being repaired, the damage added to the maintenance costs.
Air Namibia has lease agreements for two brand-new Airbus A330-200 aircraft, the other one set to arrive in the coming weeks.
The two new Airbuses will be used on the Windhoek-Frankfurt route and other future long-haul destinations.
A330-200 aircraft are best suited for local operations and conditions, because of their lower operating costs and high dispatch reliability.
Approached for comment, NAC’s Head of Corporate Communications, Mia Davids, said she could not divulge any information on the accident as investigations were underway. She would only be able to shed more light on the matter once the investigation is complete.
By Magreth Nunuhe