In a statement, Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific said one of its aircraft parked at Shin-Chitose airport had been “struck by a Korean Air A330 which was taxiing.” She said there were no passengers or staff on board her plane.
For its part, Korean Air assured, in a separate press release, that no one was injured on board its A330 departing for Seoul Incheon, where 276 passengers and 13 crew members were seated.
46 flights canceled
At 5:35 p.m. (08:35 GMT), “a Korean Air plane came into contact with a Cathay plane during a reversal at Shin-Chitose Airport when a third-party ground handling vehicle skidded due to “heavy snowfall”, explained the South Korean company.
Hokkaido has been hit by a cold front in recent days with warnings of heavy snow issued in several cities. According to reports, 46 flights were canceled on Tuesday due to heavy snowfall. “There were no injuries and the company is cooperating with all relevant authorities,” she added.
Neither Cathay nor Korean Air have estimated the amount of damage caused. Both carriers simply clarified that their respective passengers would be transferred to other aircraft.
Increased controls
The operator Hokkaido Airports could not be reached for comment on the accident, which, according to the Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting television channel, did not cause a fuel leak.
This incident on the island of Hokkaido comes two weeks after a collision on the ground on January 2 between a Japan Airlines Airbus A350-900 and a smaller Japanese coast guard aircraft. The collision occurred when the JAL plane was landing at Tokyo-Haneda (Honshu Island), from where the coast guard plane was due to take off.
All 379 people on board the Japan Airlines plane were able to escape before it was engulfed in flames. But five of the six people on board the small plane died.
Following this accident, the Japanese government announced last week that it had strengthened its air traffic control procedures. “One of my most important missions is to restore confidence in (civil, editor’s note) aviation and public transport,” declared Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito.
New security procedures
Under the new procedures, a staff member must constantly monitor a surveillance system that alerts control towers of runway incursions. Furthermore, to avoid misunderstandings, controllers should not tell planes where they are in the queue for takeoff.
A transcript of Jan. 2 communications released by the ministry suggests that the JAL plane was cleared to land, but the Coast Guard plane was ordered to stop short of the runway. Controllers told the Coast Guard plane it was “No. 1,” or next in line for takeoff.
But the Coast Guard pilot, the sole survivor, reportedly said he believed he had permission to move onto the runway, where his plane remained for about 40 seconds before the crash. Over the past decade, at least 23 “serious incidents” posing the risk of ground collisions have been recorded at Japanese airports, according to the Asahi newspaper.