Two passenger planes collided this Saturday on the runway at Heathrow airport, in the city of London. A Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 reportedly collided at low speed with a parked British Airways Airbus A350 while backing away from the terminal building.
The Virgin aircraft, being guided by a tugboat, had its wings strike the tail of the neighboring plane. Emergency services responded immediately to the scene. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, and both aircraft suffered only minor damage.
“The wingtip of one of our empty aircraft came into contact with another aircraft while it was being towed from the ‘stand’ at Heathrow Terminal 3 in London,” a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson stated.
“We have launched a complete and exhaustive investigation. Our engineering teams are carrying out maintenance checks on the aircraft, which has been taken out of service for now,” the spokesperson added.
Despite the incident, the airline’s flight schedule was not affected. Heathrow is known as the busiest airport in Europe.
The collision was captured on video and shared on social media platforms like Twitter, where it garnered attention from aviation enthusiasts and concerned travelers alike. The incident serves as a reminder of the potential risks and complexities involved in airport operations.