A Gol Airlines Boeing 737 Max was grounded at São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport in Brazil after an airport bus collided with the aircraft's winglet during passenger boarding. The collision rendered the aircraft unfit for service, and another plane was assigned to the flight.
Bus wedged under winglet
Footage captured from a second bus depicts the first vehicle lodged between the runway and the downward-facing winglet. Passengers on the initial bus had been evacuated from the vicinity, while ground crew could be seen loitering beneath the plane.
Passenger Moacyr Lopes can be heard commenting as he filmed: "That's the one. Look, the wing's on top of the bus." He later uploaded the footage online, captioning it: "Luck of the day: a bus crashes into your plane's wing." The Gol Airlines Boeing 737 Max was hit while passengers were boarding on Wednesday morning (August 19) at São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport in Brazil.
Incident details and response
The plane was stationed on the apron when the first bus, carrying passengers destined for Asunción, Paraguay, struck its winglet, as reported by NeedToKnow. Gol subsequently informed local media: "As a result of the incident, another aircraft was assigned to the flight, which took off at 9:54am and landed in the Paraguayan capital at 11:41am local time, without incident."
"All measures relating to the operation were taken with a focus on safety, Gol's number one value."
In a statement, São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport confirmed that an airport vehicle made contact with an aircraft while manoeuvring on the apron. The airport operator stated: "Following the incident, the aircraft was taken out of service for inspection and maintenance, in accordance with safety protocols."
Related closure at Norwich Airport
Meanwhile, Norwich Airport has temporarily closed with flights to and from the airport cancelled. Travellers have been told to check with airlines before making their way to the airport. It is due to workers taking strike action, with a four-hour closure in place between 8am and 1pm today while air traffic control staff walk out.
An announcement on the Norwich Airport website read: "Due to ongoing industrial action, short of a strike, involving Prospect union members in Air Traffic Control, Norwich Airport will be closed to air traffic between 08:00 and 13:00 on Friday 21 August." Norwich Airport added that all airlines have been made aware of the closure.
Air Traffic Control members of Prospect Union voted in favour of industrial action from August 17 in relation to pay and conditions. Workers involved are refusing to work overtime hours, work on a goodwill basis or swap shifts. Instead, they are working strictly within contracted hours. The union is demanding a 10% pay increase for workers, bringing them up to the UK market rate. Members are also calling for better maternity and paternity leave as part of the industrial action.
