Both aircraft were reportedly on the ground at the time of the accident.
January 16, 2024, 11:03 a.m. ET
• 4 min reading
LONDON – Two passenger planes have collided in Hokkaido, Japan, according to Japanese media reports.
The incident occurred at around 5:30 p.m. local time at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, about 110 miles east of the city of Sapporo in the north of the country, according to Japan's NHK.
According to airport officials, there was “contact” between a Korean Air plane and a Cathay Pacific plane, but it is currently unclear how serious the collision between the planes was.
The Korean Air plane had 276 passengers and 13 crew on board when it hit the Cathay Pacific plane, which was parked at the gate at the time of the accident and had no passengers on board, according to fire officials.
Part of the wing of a Korean Air plane (left) and a Cathay Pacific plane (right) are seen after a collision at northern Japan's New Chitose Airport in Sapporo, January 16, 2024. Kyodo News via AP
Both aircraft were on the ground at the time of the accident and no injuries were reported.
Weather reports indicate that visibility is currently poor in the northern part of Japan, with heavy snowfall reported in some areas and temperatures at New Chitose Airport were below freezing at just 24 degrees at the time of the accident.
Many flights here have been canceled at Hokkaido airport and disruptions are expected to continue for some time, officials said.
This accident occurred just over two weeks after a Japanese airline plane collided on the runway at Tokyo's Haneda Airport and burst into flames after colliding with another plane.