Planes clip wings in second crash at a Japanese airport in weeks

Japanese media reports had conflicting information on whether passengers were on board the Cathay Pacific plane. (AP pic)

TOKYO: Two aircraft belonging to Korean Air Lines and Cathay Pacific Airways clipped wings at New Chitose Airport on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido today amid wintry conditions, a Korean Air official said.

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 could not immediately be reached for comment.

The incident happened when a towing car, which was pushing the Korean Air plane backwards ahead of departure, slipped due to snow on the ground, leading the airplane’s left wing to clip the Cathay Pacific plane’s right tail wing, the Korean Air official said.

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

An airport spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

It is the second collision at a Japanese airport in two weeks.

A Japan Airlines jet and a coast guard plane were involved in a fatal collision at Tokyo’s busy Haneda airport on Jan 2. - FMT