DELHI- An incident occurred at Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) in New Delhi on Monday (November 25, 2024), as a Singapore Airlines (SQ) Airbus A380 performed a rollback due to its pilots not setting the parking brakes after the aircraft was parked at the gate following its flight from Singapore (SIN).
No serious damage was caused to the aircraft or passengers, however, one cabin crew member suffered a minor bruise. After the pilots realized the aircraft rolling back, they immediately set the parking brakes before the ground crew pulled the A380 back into its position at the gate.
Singapore Airlines Pilot Error Incident
Delhi’s IGIA did not release any official statement about the incident but airport sources said, “The parking bay has a slight slope to ensure water flows out towards the apron during rains. After docking at the parking bay, the aircraft rolled back at 8.14 pm. Then the pilots applied the parking brake.”
Singapore Airlines did release a statement, which read,
A Singapore Airlines (SIA) Airbus A380, operating flight SQ406 from Singapore to New Delhi experienced a rollback after parking at IGIA on Nov 25, 2024. The pilot immediately applied the brakes to halt the aircraft. Once the aircraft was stationary, the pilots informed air traffic control, and ground staff safely towed the aircraft back to its designated parking bay. All passengers disembarked the aircraft normally with no injuries reported. One cabin crew member suffered a minor bruise on her thigh, received medical attention, and was cleared to return to duties. SIA apologizes for any inconvenience caused by this incident. The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority.”
What is the SOP when parking an aircraft?
In order to mitigate the risk of rollbacks or damage to surrounding airplanes and vehicles at airports when an aircraft is parked, there is a globally recognized standard operation procedure after pilots dock their planes at a parking bay.
They must set the parking brakes once the aircraft is in position and turn off all of the aircraft’s engines. Thereafter, the ground personnel will set wheel chocks into position after which the parking brakes can be released.
The SQ A380 did not set parking brakes at all and performed an immediate rollback after power from its four engines was cut off. There has been no update as to whether there will be a formal investigation into the matter and if the pilots have been provisionally suspended.
Similar Incident
A Singapore Airlines flight bound for Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) faced a four-hour delay and eventual cancellation at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) on September 10 due to a technical issue. Flight SQ893, scheduled to depart at 3:40 PM, remained grounded on the tarmac as engineers investigated the problem.
Passengers were informed of the issue early in the afternoon by the captain, who explained that further checks were needed. Despite the delay, the passengers remained calm. However, a brief power outage in the cabin caused lights and air conditioning to shut down temporarily, creating a warm and uncomfortable atmosphere.
To address passenger discomfort, airline staff distributed water and juice during the delay. At around 7:30 PM, nearly four hours after the original departure time, passengers were informed that the flight had been canceled. Disembarkation began shortly after, and passengers exited the aircraft at approximately 8:00 PM.
The aircraft involved, an Airbus A380-841 registered as 9V-SKU, is 7.5 years old and powered by Rolls Royce Trent 900 engines.
One passenger, Ms. Tan, 59, shared her experience, noting that Singapore Airlines rebooked her on a Cathay Pacific flight departing at 1:40 AM on September 11. She expressed her eagerness to return home, a sentiment likely shared by many affected travelers.
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