Latest news with #baggagehandlers
The Sun
5 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Lorry crashes into PLANE at Heathrow and pierces aircraft's body after ‘laughable mistake' by driver
A DRIVER has smashed into a grounded plane after he "confused the accelerator for the brake". The lorry crashed into the body of the Saudia Boeing 787-9 at Heathrow Airport on May 28 - piercing the aircraft and leading to long delays. It came just minutes after passengers on the SVA105 flight from King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, had departed the plane at Terminal 4 of the London-based airport at around 2:54pm. Baggage handlers at the scene described how the driver mixed up the pedals of the lorry and caused the damage. One said: "The driver must have probably been trying to perform a safety protocol manoeuvre where, when approaching the aircraft, they hit the brakes on multiple occasions. "They have a protocol where they have to fully stop several times when moving towards the aircraft. "I think he confused the accelerator for the brakes - smashing into the plane near stand 414. "The damage doesn't look that big but it pierced right through the body of the aircraft, which makes it a serious incident. "Fire fighters and the police came because even for a small technical error, everyone has to attend the site, so it becomes a major event. "That aircraft won't be able to go anywhere for a long time because they have to replace it and they have to be airtight to fly of course." The following flight from Heathrow to Jeddah was cancelled because of the damage, and passengers on the original flight suffered delays to their baggage reclaim. The baggage handler said: "I don't know what the damage is like within, but I presume ABM will be liable for the damage. "As the lorry was inching closer, instead of doing a brake check, it just accelerated forwards into the plane. "Everyone was shocked because all the work had to be stopped - it's just so stupid and ridiculous, it's almost laughable. "I think it took over an hour to remove the lorry from the airport. They have to take pictures and take down witness reports from everyone involved like the pilot, the driver and the airport staff. "It's very rare that it happened - some of us have more than 15 years experience of baggage handling and between us we've never seen anything like it." ABM and Saudia were contacted for comment. 1
CBS News
27-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Video captures pigeon flying through plane at MSP Airport
The old adage says birds of a feather fly together, but they probably didn't mean they fly commercial. A Delta Air Lines flight leaving Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Sunday was briefly waylaid when two pigeons attempted a coup on the plane. According to one of the passengers, baggage handlers boarded the plane, caught the first pigeon and removed it. As the plane began taxiing on the runway, a second pigeon appeared, forcing the plane to return to the gate. Handlers once again captured the bird and took it away. Cawtom/Instagram The passenger, who captured the second pigeon on video, said the incident was a first for the pilot and air traffic controllers. WCCO has reached out to Delta for more information on the avian air travelers. The flight was headed for Madison, Wisconsin.
The Independent
16-05-2025
- The Independent
Luggage handler left with bleed on the brain in horror fall
British Airways was fined £3.2 million for safety breaches at Heathrow Airport. Two baggage handlers suffered serious injuries after falling from height in separate incidents months apart. The incidents involved loading equipment lacking adequate protection, notably edge guard rails. One worker suffered a broken back, while the other had a bleed on the brain. British Airways pleaded guilty to breaches of Work at Height Regulations.
Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Telegraph
British Airways fined £3m after Heathrow baggage handlers injured
British Airways has been fined more than £3 million after two baggage handlers fell and suffered serious injuries within a seven-month period while working at Heathrow airport. Ravinder Teji and Shahjahan Malik were seriously hurt, in August 2022 and March 2023 respectively, when they both fell from a machine known as a televator. Mr Teji fell from a height of 1.5 metres when loading a short-haul flight at Heathrow airport, while Mr Malik fell three metres while unloading a flight from Seattle, Southwark Crown Court heard. Mr Malik suffered what appeared to be a bleed on the brain. He also had fractures of his forehead, his nasal bone, a fractured jaw which had to be screwed shut and bruising. The court heard that Mr Teji had lined up the televator with an Airbus A320 but after part of the cargo was unloaded, the platform became stuck. He fell from the televator and hit the ground, suffering a cut to his head, and was left with a fracture to one vertebrae and compressed fractures to two others. Short guard rails Andrew McGee, prosecuting, said: 'There were guard rails on either side of the televator platform, but they did not extend far enough. Those measures were not enough to prevent falling.' On both occasions the weather was poor, and it was snowing on March 8 2023, when Mr Malik fell. The court heard there had also been three previous incidents of employees slipping before Mr Teji's fall. British Airways has since overhauled its televator systems, costing of £7 million. The airline was ordered to pay a £3,208,333 fine within 28 days along with legal costs of £20,935 and a victim surcharge of £120. Not addressed 'sufficiently' Judge Brendan Finucane KC said: 'Poor weather made the risk of falling much greater, and there was no doubt there was clearly a factor in poor weather. 'The risk assessment did not deal with this factor in the risk to the operator.' Judge Finucane added: 'The systems of work training were insufficient to prevent this. Of course when the second incident occurred only five or six months later, the reality is that there was an issue that needed to be dealt with swiftly. 'The court takes the view that it was not addressed sufficiently, swiftly as they should have been.'
