16-1-2024 (TOKYO) In a wintry incident at New Chitose Airport on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, two aircraft, one belonging to Korean Air Lines and the other to Cathay Pacific Airways, experienced a wing-to-wing collision on Tuesday. Fortunately, no injuries were reported on either plane, according to Japanese media.
The Korean Air flight involved in the incident had 289 passengers and crew members on board, as confirmed by a Korean Air official. However, conflicting reports emerged regarding whether passengers were on board the Cathay Pacific aircraft. At the time of reporting, Cathay Pacific Airways was unavailable for immediate comment.
The airport received notification of the incident shortly after 5:30 pm local time (3:30 pm Thailand time) on Tuesday. The two planes involved, Korean Air Lines flight 766 bound for Seoul and Cathay Pacific Airways flight 583 heading to Hong Kong, were stationed next to each other at gates.
The mishap occurred when a towing vehicle, responsible for pushing the Korean Air plane backward in preparation for departure, slid on the snow-covered ground. This caused the left wing of the Korean Air plane to make contact with the right tail wing of the Cathay Pacific aircraft, explained the Korean Air official.
As a consequence of the incident and unfavorable weather conditions, more than 80 domestic and international flights departing to or arriving at New Chitose Airport had to be canceled on Tuesday, according to the airport spokesperson.
