Two easyJet planes clipped wings on the ground at Manchester Airport in Britain Friday morning leading to a temporary halt of ground traffic, although no injuries were reported. File Photo (2020) by Neil Hall/EPA-EFE
Aug. 15 (UPI) — Two planes clipped wings at Manchester Airport in Britain on Friday, briefly pausing flight operations on the ground at the facility, officials confirmed.
No injuries were reported when the two easyJet planes collided on the ground at about 6:30 a.m. local time, an airport spokesperson said.
“We suspended operations briefly while they were assessed to see if they could taxi back to a stand, which they could so operations resumed after a few minutes,” the airport said in a statement to reporters.
Both flights were set to depart the international airport, with one bound for Paris and the other headed to Gibraltar.
Britain-based easyJet is a multinational low-cost airline group. The company operates a fleet of 318 Airbus aircraft and boasts that it has “one of the youngest fleets in the industry.”
The airline was working on re-booking affected passengers Friday, according to airport officials.
“EasyJet can confirm that the wing tips of two aircraft came into contact while taxiing to the runway at Manchester airport this morning. The aircraft returned to stand to disembark customers who have been provided with refreshment vouchers while replacement aircraft are arranged to operate the flights,” an easyJet spokesperson told The Guardian in a statement.
“We apologize to customers for the delay to their flights. The safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority.”
Last weekend, a Delta Airlines flight clipped another aircraft at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.