Published on
August 14, 2025
The ground service equipment struck the Akasa Air Boeing 737 MAX at BLR (Kempegowda International Airport). The incident happened while the aircraft was undergoing maintenance checks. Even though no crew or passengers were present at the time of the incident, the abuse of the aircraft’s undercarriage has prompted an internal investigation by the airline. Furthermore, this occurrence has accounted for the increasing ambiguity regarding the ground handling incident at one of India’s busiest airports.
The Incident and Its Impact
On the 13th of August, 2025, at 12:15 PM, an employee of a contracted agency drove a ground service vehicle into an Akasa Air Boeing 737 MAX that was parked at the gate and undergoing checks. As has been the case with most of the incidents described here, no injuries occurred, and the aircraft was not operational. The damage, however, did cause a portion of the aircraft’s undercarriage to be damaged, and hence, the aircraft may be temporarily out of service for some time, undergoing repairs. The extent of the damage is yet to be ascertained; however, Akasa Air has already decided to take steps to mitigate damage and is launching an airline investigation to determine the cause.
This case raises red flags, particularly because it is set in the context of an incident happening in an international airport with multiple operating airlines, which has already seen an increase in minor ground incident activities in the current year. Moreover, the Bengaluru Airport noticed a 15% increase in these types of incidents compared to the previous year, which is in itself an issue that is starting to garner attention from the concerned authorities.
Akasa Air has publicly clarified that This Incident
Akasa Air has also stressed that these events will not cause outages or major disturbances to the routine operational activities of the entities involved. In case of minor damage, Akasa Air will stick to its operational schedules, which will not add to the operational delays. In the case where damage is more than minor, limited cancellations and changes to the operational schedule will be implemented.
Akasa Air has stressed the organization’s commitment to operational safety, and the matter of how it is dealt with in a public context is dealt with through operational transparency. Akasa Air has communicated that it will deal with the matters of the investigations and will happily cooperate with the ground agencies that dealt with the function of boarding the passengers. Remaining compliant will allow these airlines to claim that operational reliability is a base pillar on which an increasing network will be able to run, and increasing the network of the airline is already a publicly communicated goal of Akasa Air.
Concerns Regarding Ground Handling Safety:
This event has brought the problem of ground handling safety into the limelight. Analysts suggest that the persistent rise in these types of incidents can be attributed to the increasing number of airplanes in the sky, the heightened employment of outsourced ground handling services, and insufficient uniform training of the ground crew employees. Although these ground handling agencies play a critical role in the smooth functioning of the airport, their inadequate supervision and training have made it particularly problematic to ensure consistent safety practices.
India’s top-ranked Bengaluru Airport, which recorded a traffic of 41.9 million passengers in the fiscal year 2024-25, remains one of the busiest, resolving issues of increasing incidents of ground handling mishaps. This includes the Akasa Air collision and the earlier example of a vehicle colliding with an IndiGo aircraft in April. Safety advocates have also expressed great concern over the increasing number of such incidents and more ground safety practices.
Airline and Airport Response: Looking Toward Solutions
Due to the increasing number of ground incidents, Akasa Air has promised to take corrective measures. The airline is working together with the ground handling company involved in the incident to ascertain blame and construct safety measures to prevent such incidents in the future. In addition, Akasa has assured passengers that the airline will continue to operate flights as scheduled, except for any unforeseen delays.
Bengaluru Airports Limited has also taken steps to improve its operational safety protocols for ground operations. The hub airport is in the process of improving its vehicular movement control and compliance with safety protocols by ground personnel. This is important for the airline hub airport in sustaining operational effectiveness and improving the safety of the passengers with the increase in air traffic in the aviation market in India.
Industry-Wide Concerns and Calls for Regulation
The escalation of ground incidents with air service operators in India, including with Akasa Air, has further highlighted the need to address ground safety issues throughout the aviation industry. Advocates for safety have recommended the complete revision of training policies for ground handling personnel as well as stricter controls on the movement of vehicles on the airport apron.
There are also proposals regarding the accountability of the subcontracted ground handling companies as the standards of supervision of many of them are quite different. As airports like Bengaluru continue their relentless expansion, prioritizing safety becomes essential in preventing incidents.
The oversight of Aksa Air’s internal investigation will likely be closely monitored by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s aviation safety authority. The DGCA might also supplement safety regulations regarding ground handling operations to mitigate the risk of similar occurrences in the future.
Final Thoughts: Enhancing Operational Compliance
The Bengaluru Airport Akasa Air incident, unfortunate as it was, underscores the need to strike a balance between aviation safety and ground operations oversight. The carrier’s determination to conduct a thorough investigation and implement safety improvements supports the notion of operational dependability. That said, the increasing frequency of minor ground incidents at India’s busy airports demonstrates the urgency of the need for more comprehensive regulations and uniform training for ground handling staff.
Given Akasa’s continuing rapid growth as well as the expansion of the aviation sector in India, safeguarding the trust of both passengers and ground staff will be crucial for effective air travel management. The conclusion of Akasa’s investigation will be directed towards implementing measures that will, one, strengthen security protocols, and two, place focus on averting the chances of such occurrences in the future.
(Source: Akasa Air, Bengaluru Airport, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA))
