TOKYO/SEOUL, A Korean Air passenger plane “came into contact” with a Cathay Pacific aircraft at an airport in Japan but no injuries were reported, officials said Tuesday.
A towing car pulling the Korean Air plane, carrying 276 passengers and 13 flight crew members, slipped on the snow-covered tarmac, causing the plane to scrape the Cathay Pacific aircraft at around 5:35 p.m. at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, according to the airlines.
The incident led the plane’s left wing to clip the right tail wing of the Cathay Pacific, which officials said was not carrying any passengers.
No injuries or fires were reported on either of the planes.
Korean Air, South Korea’s top full-service carrier, said it was discussing with local airport authorities ways of providing an alternative flight for the stranded passengers.
The alternative flight, which left Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, Tuesday evening, is slated to take off from the Japanese airport at 1 a.m. Wednesday and arrive at Incheon about thre
e hours later, Korean Air said.
Korean Air said it was sorry for causing inconvenience to the passengers due to the incident that was blamed on the airport’s ground handling company.
Source: Yonhap News Agency