An aircraft propeller struck equipment on the ground – air traffic accident alert issued at Helsinki-Vantaa. Photo: Emmi Korhonen / Lehtikuva
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Passengers were evacuated from a Finnair aircraft at Helsinki Airport on Saturday morning after a ground support vehicle collided with the plane’s propeller.
The Central Uusimaa Rescue Department received an alert at 10:50am and initially classified the situation as a major air traffic incident. Fifteen emergency units responded to the scene as a precaution.
No injuries were reported. There were 68 people on board the aircraft, all of whom were safely evacuated and returned to the terminal.
The aircraft was preparing for departure to Gdansk, Poland. Finavia, the company operating Helsinki Airport, confirmed that flight AY1175 was cancelled following the incident.
Photographs published by Helsingin Sanomat showed a service vehicle lodged under the wing of the aircraft, with visible damage to both the vehicle and the aircraft. Debris was scattered across the tarmac.
The collision occurred while the plane was stationary on the ground. Finavia said the airport remained operational, with other flights departing and landing as scheduled. Some minor delays affected European routes in the early afternoon.
Clean-up operations continued into the afternoon, with emergency personnel remaining at the site. Eyewitnesses described the atmosphere at the airport as calm.
Finnair has not commented on the extent of the damage or whether the aircraft will return to service.
Aviation safety at Helsinki Airport came under scrutiny last year after a worker died during an aircraft towing operation. That incident, also involving Finnair, occurred during routine maintenance.
Authorities have not yet released the findings of their investigation into Saturday’s collision.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
