A British Airways Airbus A350-1000 is returning to London on Thursday, August 27, after spending nine days on the ground in Barbados following an accident with a ground vehicle.
The aircraft, registered G-XWBK, departed Bridgetown at 8:54 a.m. local time as flight BA9606, a special flight to London Heathrow. Flight tracking data showed the A350 en route to the United Kingdom on Thursday.
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G-XWBK had arrived at Bridgetown from Heathrow as flight BA255 on August 18. Flightradar24 records show that the aircraft landed at 2:47 p.m. local time after an eight-hour flight. It did not operate another flight until its departure on August 27.
A ground vehicle struck the aircraft after its arrival in Barbados, according to Gate Checked, which first reported the case. Images from the incident show part of an ambulift in contact with the right side of the A350 near a passenger door, with a section of the vehicle apparently penetrating the aircraft.
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Gate Checked reported that the vehicle was operated by GCG Group and that the impact punctured the A350's composite fuselage. British Airways and the ground handling company have not publicly detailed the extent of the damage.
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The accident prevented G-XWBK from operating its scheduled return flight to Heathrow. British Airways subsequently sent another A350-1000, G-XWBO, to Barbados to carry affected passengers to London.
The absence of G-XWBK also affected its subsequent schedule. Flightradar24 lists its planned BA191 flight from Heathrow to Austin and the return BA190 service on August 19 as canceled.
British Airways continued to use other A350-1000s on the Barbados route during the following days. G-XWBS operated BA255 on August 19, followed by G-XWBB on August 20, G-XWBH on August 21 and G-XWBG on August 22.
G-XWBK is a four-year-old Airbus A350-1041, manufacturer serial number 495. British Airways operates 18 A350-1000s as part of its long-haul fleet.
