World

Runway reopens at Tokyo’s Haneda airport after planes ‘bump into each other’

One of the planes involved was with the Thai Airways International airline (Kyodo News via AP)
One of the planes involved was with the Thai Airways International airline (Kyodo News via AP) One of the planes involved was with the Thai Airways International airline (Kyodo News via AP)

Two passenger planes bumped into each other on a runway at a major Tokyo airport, but no injuries were reported, a government official has said.

A Thai Airways International jet headed to Bangkok accidentally hit a parked Eva Airways plane headed to Taipei at Haneda airport, a transport ministry spokesperson said.

The runway was temporarily closed after the incident but reopened about two hours later after it was cleared.

Some flights were delayed and the cause of the accident is still under investigation.

Japan Airport Runway Closed
Japan Airport Runway Closed One of the planes involved was with the Thai Airways International airline (Kyodo News via AP)

Footage broadcast by TBS TV News showed two commercial jets stopped on the same runway.

NHK TV showed an official picking up what appeared to be part of a plane’s wing and removing it from the runway.

A winglet on the Thai Airways plane appeared to be damaged, according to photographs and media reports.

Winglets are the vertical projections on the tip of the wing that reduce drag.