A Cathay Pacific B777-300ER aircraft, being towed by a truck at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport, has come to grief after its right wing smashed into a steel floodlight pole.
Cathay Pacific confirmed one of its aircraft “was involved in a towing incident in which one of its wing tips struck a standing pole”.
“The incident occurred when the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft was being towed by a truck operated by a local ground handling agent at the airport,” a spokeswoman told Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post.
Images posted on a Rome-based aviation spotting Facebook page showed the damage.
A source told the Hong Kong paper the plane was highly likely to be “grounded for a good while”. Wings are very important (to put it mildly). A complex repair job is coming up.
A notice to passengers due to fly on CX292, posted by the airline, advised that “due to operational constraints” the flight would not be carrying passengers.
Wingtip meets pole
The accident happened at the most inconvenient time – peak summer travel season. Cathay is moving quickly to arrange alternatives for its passengers, who may end up being re-routed via London or Paris.
Written by Peter Needham
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