Truck hits plane on Cape Town runway
23 January 2008A potentially dangerous incident occurred at Cape Town international airport when a truck drove into a stationary aircraft minutes before it was due to take off.
The incident occurred on the morning of January 23rd and, according to airport media officer Deidre Hendricks, did not have any impact on operations.
While none of the 137 passengers on the South African Airways (SAA) service had to rely on their travel insurance to cover medical costs, their flight was cancelled and they were accommodated on three alternative flights to Johannesburg.
SAA confirmed that the door of one of its Boeing 737 planes was damaged by a catering truck while the aircraft was on the runway, according to the South African Press Association.
"None of the passengers sustained any injuries," said Robyn Chalmers, the airline's head of group corporate affairs.
"SAA would like to apologise to its passengers for any inconvenience caused as a result of the incident."