An easyJet plane is having to undergo repairs after a large lorry smashed into the fuselage while the aircraft was parked at Paris Orly.
Shocking images have been circulating on social media of the bright yellow Scania lorry wedged underneath the belly of the Airbus A320.
The driver's cab on the lorry had bent in the middle, causing giant cracks on the windscreen.
Pictures also show damage to the fuselage of the easyJet plane, with the exhaust pipe of the lorry appearing to have left a dent across the bottom of the aircraft.
The damage was caused after the heavy-duty airport vehicle careered into the rear of the plane at Paris Orly airport early Monday morning, 31 March, The Sun reports.
The incident occurred during a night stop in the early hours of the morning so no passengers were onboard and there were no injuries reported.
“It happened first thing and everyone is in shock. It’s baffling how this happened,” a source told The Sun.
“There was no way the plane could take off. It was due to complete six flights today but will now be grounded for rigorous safety checks.
“Bosses were forced to rip up flight plans. It’s a major incident and will leave a bill in excess of £100,000.”
An airline spokesperson told The Independent: “EasyJet can confirm that an airport vehicle struck an aircraft at Paris Orly airport while it was parked overnight and no passengers were on board.
"The aircraft will undergo the required inspections and repairs in line with manufacturer instructions.”
In a statement, ADP, the Parisian airport group, said: “On Sunday night, after feeling unwell, the driver of a runway maintenance machine lost control of his vehicle, which collided with an easyJet aircraft.
“The aircraft was parked on the tarmac at Orly 1 and was empty at the time of the accident.”
“The driver was taken to the hospital by our emergency services (fire department and Emergency Medical Service). No other people were involved in the accident.
“The flight's passengers have been taken care of by their airline and were transported to their destinations on other flights of the same day. For further information, please contact the airline.
“This accident has had no further impact on airport traffic.”
A similar incident occurred in October 2023 at Stansted Airport, after a passenger assistance vehicle collided with a Ryanair plane that had 103 passengers and six crew members on board at the time.
An investigation into this incident reported in August last year that the crash may have been caused by the vehicle driver being tired and distracted.
The Ryanair plane, which had right of way, turned across the road towards a different stand following an inbound flight.
The plane’s right wing collided with the roof of the vehicle, causing visible damage to both.
Evaluation of CCTV footage from inside the truck during the moments before the collision found the driver made “no obvious glances” through the left window towards the Ryanair aircraft.
It appeared the driver only noticed the plane about five seconds after it started to turn.
He performed an emergency stop and began to reverse, but was unable to get out of the way. No one was injured.
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