World

Planes clip wings at Japanese airport

By AAP Newswire

Jan 16, 2024

A file photo of a Cathay Pacific plane — A Cathay Pacific airplane clipped wings with a Korean Air plane at a Japanese airport. -AP

Two aircraft belonging to Korean Air Lines and Cathay Pacific Airways have clipped wings at an airport on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.

Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content

No injuries were reported on either plane, Japanese media said.

The Korean Air flight had 289 passengers and crew members on board, an airline official said.

Japanese media reports had conflicting information on whether passengers were on board the Cathay Pacific aircraft. Cathay Pacific Airways could not immediately be reached for comment.

The incident happened on Tuesday at New Chitose Airport amid wintry conditions when a towing car, which was pushing the Korean Air plane backwards ahead of departure, slipped due to snow on the ground.

The airplane's left wing clipped the Cathay Pacific plane's right tail wing, the Korean Air official said.

Korean Air Lines' initial assessment attributed the cause to a ground handler that was towing the airplane in heavy snow, the airline official said.

An airport spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.