A PEOPLE carrier crashed at Washington Dulles International Airport, injuring at least 18 people.
The vehicle struck a dock while transporting passengers from Concourse D.
The mobile lounge, which transports passengers between the terminal and the aircraft, struck the dock at an angle at about 4:30pm on Monday afternoon.
The dock is where the vehicle stops to let people into the concourse.
The passengers who were hurt have non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to hospital by the fire department.
The airport is open and operating as normal, according to a statement.
There are 19 mobile lounges at Dulles and they can carry up to 102 passengers, according to the airport’s website.
They are about 54 feet long and 16 feet wide.
The use of such mobile lounges at Dulles date back to 1959.
They have been long-criticised as out-of-date and insufficiently modern.
It is unknown how many passengers were onboard at the time of the crash.
Dulles is only of the primary airports for people travelling to and from Washington DC.
Earlier this week, a former Tump official criticised the vehicles, telling senators during a confirmation hearing that “the people mover is a relic of the past.”
“It’s an embarrassment that international travelers, visiting the capital of the most powerful nation in the world, are transported back to the sixties,” said Trent Morse.
According to NBC Washington, mobile lounges were involved in 16 accidents during a 10-year period between 2007-2017.
This includes one fatal crash.
The latest incident took place amid the government shutdown, which has caused flight delays and long queues at airports across the country.
The Trump administration has ordered 40 airports, including Dulles, to reduce air traffic by 10% due to staffing shortages.
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