LONDON,April 6,/Daily Mail/ – A minor collision occurred at London’s Heathrow Airport when a Virgin Atlantic 787, being towed from Terminal 3, inadvertently struck a British Airways Airbus A350 with its winglets. The incident resulted in slight damage to both aircraft.
UK emergency services promptly addressed the low-speed impact, as reported by the Daily Mail. A Virgin Atlantic representative confirmed that the incident took place while their aircraft, devoid of passengers, was being maneuvered away from the terminal stand.
🇬🇧 | BREAKING NEWS: At London Heathrow Airport, a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-9 has collided on the ground with a British Airways Airbus A350-1041.pic.twitter.com/q8PylIAweW
— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐲 (@TheHeraldDiary) April 6, 2024
The airline emphasized the safety of customers and crew, assuring that no passengers were aboard during the mishap. An in-depth investigation is underway, with engineers performing meticulous maintenance checks on the impacted aircraft, which has been temporarily decommissioned.
Alex Whittles, an eyewitness, shared his account of the event on Twitter, detailing the collision during the pushback process. The British Airways jet, fresh from a flight from Accra, Ghana, was slated to depart from Terminal 3’s Gate 25 at 12:40 pm. However, the incident led to a delay, with the new departure time listed as 6:30 pm on the airport’s departure board.
In response to potential risks, several fire engines were dispatched to the scene to mitigate any threats of fuel leaks or fires. The Department of Transport’s Air Accident Investigation Branch will spearhead a thorough investigation into the incident, focusing on the pushback procedure’s adequacy and the circumstances that led to the Virgin jet striking the British Airways jet’s horizontal stabilizer.
