Amid wintry conditions at New Chitose Airport on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, two aircraft, one from Korean Air Lines and the other from Cathay Pacific Airways, experienced a wing collision on Tuesday, according to a statement from a Korean Air official.
The incident involved the Korean Air flight, which had 289 passengers and crew members on board, and the Cathay Pacific plane. Japanese media reported conflicting information regarding the presence of passengers on the Cathay Pacific aircraft, and attempts to reach Cathay Pacific Airways for comment were unsuccessful.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported on either plane. The collision occurred when a towing car, responsible for pushing the Korean Air plane backward before departure, slipped due to snow on the ground. As a result, the left wing of the Korean Air plane collided with the right tail wing of the Cathay Pacific aircraft, as explained by the Korean Air official.
Korean Air Lines' preliminary assessment pointed to a ground handler towing the airplane in heavy snow as the cause of the incident. However, an airport spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.
