A LATAM Airbus A319 suffered a collision with stairs after landing at Rio de Janeiro's Santos Dumont Airport. There are no reported injuries to either passengers or crew, but the aircraft sustained damage to the wing.

The incident

A LATAM Airbus A319, registered as PT-TMO, had just landed at Rio de Janeiro's Santos Dumont Airport. After landing, the aircraft collided with a belt and air stars on the ground. The right-hand side wing suffered damage:

PT-TMO had just landed in Santos Dumont Airport (SDU) after operated flight LA3152 from Porto Alegre on November 29, 2019. After this incident, the aircraft was pulled out of service. LA3935, scheduled from SDU to Sao Paulo Congonhas Airport (CGH), was canceled as a result of the incident. Data from Flightradar24 indicates that the aircraft has not operated any additional flights since the incident.

LATAM A319
The LATAM Airbus A319 has been out of service since the incident. Photo: Gabriel Magacho - Spotting via Flickr

Santos Dumont Airport

When it comes to Rio de Janeiro, most passengers are familiar with the larger Rio de Janeiro- Galeão International Airport. Santos Dumont is a secondary airport closer to Rio de Janeiro's city center and the beaches. However, as a result of its location, the airport does not have a lot of room to grow and thus operates regional flights throughout Brazil.

Rio de Janeiro airports
Airports in Rio de Janeiro. Photo: Google Maps

Galeão International Airport is towards the north end of the city. As the main international airport for Rio, the airport serves a large host of international airlines such as the big three United States airlines, British Airways, Air France, KLM, Alitalia, Royal Air Maroc, TAP Air Portugal, Norwegian, Lufthansa, Emirates, and Latin American airlines such as Copa, Avianca, Aerolineas Argentinas among others.

LATAM Airlines

The aircraft involved in the incident is registered with LATAM Brasil. This is the Brazilian division of the LATAM Airlines Group. Previously, LATAM Brasil operated as TAM Airlines prior to a merger with LAN Airlines. The airline operates Airbus A320ceo and neo aircraft alongside Boeing 777s, 767s, and Airbus A350-900s. Ultimately, this fleet allows LATAM Brasil to fly an impressive mix of short-haul and long-haul international routes.

TAM A350
TAM Airlines was an independent Brazilian airline before merging with LAN. Photo: Airbus

After the merger, LATAM captured a significant share of the South American market. When a joint venture with American Airlines seemed increasingly unlikely, LATAM formed one with Delta Air Lines and subsequently announced its intent to withdraw from the oneworld alliance.

LATAM A320neo
LATAM flies Airbus A320neo alongside A320ceo aircraft. Photo: Airbus

Overall

Ground collisions can occur at major airports. A combination of time pressure to turn around aircraft and operating conditions sometimes lead to incidents like this. Although, it is unclear exactly what led to this incident. Importantly, no passengers or crew sustained any injuries. Hopefully, the aircraft will return to service soon!

Were you onboard this LATAM Airbus A319 when the collision happened? What went on? Let us know in the comments!