Eighteen passengers were hospitalized on Monday after a mobile lounge carrying travelers at Washington Dulles International Airport collided with a concourse dock, according to airport officials.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said in an emailed statement to NTD that “Around 4:30 p.m. on Monday, a mobile lounge transporting passengers to Concourse D at Dulles International Airport struck the dock at an angle as it was pulling up to the building.”
“Passengers deboarded the mobile lounge via stairs,” the statement said. “They were evaluated by Airports Authority Fire & Rescue personnel for possible injuries. The fire department transported 18 people to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The airport is open and operating as normal.”
Authorities have not yet released information about what led the vehicle to collide with the dock, noting that the crash is being investigated. Airport officials also did not specify whether the driver was among those injured. The incident caused a disruption at the gate where the crash happened, but overall airport operations continued as normal.
However, since the completion of the $1.5 billion AeroTrain system at Dulles Airport in 2010, the use of mobile lounges has declined over the years. The airport currently operates approximately 19 mobile lounges and 30 Plane Mate vehicles. While the AeroTrain now connects most concourses, mobile lounges remain essential for transporting passengers between the main terminal and Concourse D, which the AeroTrain does not serve.
The company’s vice president stated last year that the company aims to reimagine the functionality of these vehicles, enabling them to remain in service for decades to come.