Chennai, Jul 10 (Agencies): A GoAir plane with 168 passengers on board, including an infant, hit an aerobridge at Chennai airport and was damaged in the process.

The collision took place because the aerobridge operator was allegedly on the phone when the aircraft was trying to align itself.

The aircraft, an A 320, had arrived from Mumbai at 6.22 am. Around 10 minutes later, it had a punctured fuselage after hitting the aerobridge. Sources say the aerobridge operator, who was inexplicably on the phone at the time, was "moving very fast" despite the airline staff asking him not to do so.

The plane has now been grounded. Passengers had to exit the aircraft from the rear door using a step ladder.

"The flight hit while aligning with the aerobridge damaging the fuselage close to the front door of the aircraft," a DGCA source said.

The GoAir 8-305 flight was to leave for Port Blair after a halt in Chennai. DGCA has ordered a probe into the incident.

"The GoAir Aircraft No.G 8 305 (Mumbai to Portblair via Chennai) while docking with passenger boarding bridge (PBB) slightly got damaged by the side of the door," a statement from the Chennai Airport Director here said.

All the onboard passengers and crew were safe and disembarked later, it said.

"The PBB operator was licenced to operate the PBB and the incident is being investigated by DGCA," it added. The flight's onward journey to Portblair was cancelled, officials said.

With PTI Inputs