Pilots' Union Flags Seven A321neo Tailstrike Incidents, Raises Training & Safety Concerns

Mumbai: The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA India) has raised alarm over seven confirmed tailstrike incidents involving Airbus A321neo aircraft in India over the past six years, warning of systemic training failures and regulatory shortcomings. Five of these incidents occurred on IndiGo flights, and the union has also expressed concerns about the introduction of the A321XLR.

The latest tailstrike incident was reported on August 21, when an IndiGo Airbus A321neo experienced a tailstrike during landing at Gorakhpur Airport in Uttar Pradesh, leading to the grounding of the aircraft and the de-rostering of the flight crew pending investigation. This marks the seventh A321-family tailstrike since 2020, with the first at a tier-2 airport in 2026.

The union argues that repeated tailstrikes stem from institutional deficiencies, not isolated pilot errors, highlighting the lack of A321neo-specific full flight simulator facilities and the inadequate penalty imposed on IndiGo. The union also expressed grave concerns over the upcoming introduction of the extra long-range A321XLR, warning of the potential catastrophic fire risk due to the proximity of the rear centre tank to the tailstrike contact zone.