Tuesday 19 July 2016

Watch as airport staffs push start 36-tonne plane packed with passengers


 Astonishing footage has emerged showing airport staff pushing a 36-tonne plane packed full of passengers after a technical fault. The 90-seater Iberian Airlines jet, bound for the port of Vigo in Spain, had been stranded on the tarmac for about an hour after the terminal's tug truck that pushes it to the runway stopped operating. In the footage, posted on YouTube , 11 workers at Rome's Fiumicino Airport could be seen physically pushing the Bombardier CRJ900 series jet backwards from its wheels while others gave orders. The plane, full of people and their luggage, is reversed towards the runway after Air Traffic Control granted staff permission to carry out the manoeuvre, Local.fr reported.
Most commercial jets can reverse from the gate unaided but the operation is considered 'too fuel-intensive' so small tugs are used to push the planes to the runway for takeoff, the report adds. The aircraft was due to take-off at 3.10pm on Sunday and eventually managed to start its journey at 4.30pm

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