Korean Air crash: Plane collides into Cathay Pacific jet at Japan airport leaving hole in wing

Two planes have collided on a runway at a Japanese airport, in the second airport crash the country has seen within weeks. The incident occurred on Tuesday (16 January) and according to Hokkaido Airports, which operates New Chitose Airport, they received a report at around 5.30pm local time.

A Korean Air Lines plane came into contact with a Cathay Pacific Airways aircraft at New Chitose Airport on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. NKH reported that while there were over 280 passengers and crew on board the Korean Air plane, there were no passengers on the Cathay Pacific plane after it arrived.

A Korean Air spokesperson said: “A Korean Air aircraft came into contact with a Cathay aircraft during pushback at New Chitose (Sapporo) Airport by the third-party ground handler vehicle which slipped due to heavy snow. There were no injuries and the airline is co-operating with all relevant authorities.” Sky News reports that a Korean Air official said 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 which then led to the plane's left wing clipping the Cathay Pacific plane's right tail wing.

More than 46 flights were cancelled on Tuesday at the airport due to the snowy conditions. According to the fire department, there was no fire and no one has been reported as injured so far. An airport spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

The incident comes just two weeks after a fatal plane collision at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. A Japan Airlines aircraft erupted into flames after a collision with a coastguard aircraft on the runway on 2 January, leaving five people dead.

The Japan Airlines Airbus-A350 was carrying 379 people, including eight children. Footage from within the aircraft showed smoke pouring from beneath its wings as it landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport at around 5.45pm local time (8.45am GMT). By the time the plane came to a standstill, it was engulfed by flames as rescuers rushed to evacuate all the passengers. The pilot survived but was in a serious condition.