On Tuesday, October 6th, a Delta Air Lines plane collided with an Air Canada aircraft at Los Angeles International Airport as it was preparing for takeoff.
According to preliminary information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the incident occurred around 10:30 am local time on Tuesday when the Delta Air Lines Flight 7 was taxiing for takeoff and its left wingtip scraped the horizontal tail of the Air Canada aircraft.
The FAA stated that the Air Canada aircraft was being towed upon arrival in Los Angeles but stopped before reaching the boarding gate.
A Delta Air Lines spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the left wingtip of Delta Air Lines Flight 7 (originally bound for Tokyo with 275 passengers and 15 crew members) collided with the Air Canada aircraft. Initial reports indicated no injuries.
In a statement, Delta Air Lines mentioned, “Nothing is more important than the safety of our passengers and crew, and we apologize for the impact on passengers due to this incident and resulting delay in their travel.”
Air Canada informed Fox News Digital that Flight AC785 had just arrived in Los Angeles from Toronto when “an aircraft operated by another airline struck its tail.” There have been no reports of injuries. The Air Canada aircraft will be temporarily out of operation for inspection and maintenance.
The Los Angeles World Airports, which operates LAX, emphasized that the incident occurred on the taxiway, not on a runway.
“We have learned of an incident involving Delta Air Lines and Air Canada aircraft on a taxiway at LAX, not a runway,” a spokesperson for LAX stated. “There have been no reports of injuries, and flight operations at LAX are normal.”
Delta Air Lines maintenance staff and airport teams are assessing the Airbus A350-900 involved in the incident. The airline is focusing on ensuring the proper accommodation of passengers and evaluating “follow-up plans.”
The airline stated that it will cooperate with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the investigation of the incident.
Back in March this year, an Air Canada regional plane collided with a Port Authority airport vehicle at LaGuardia Airport in New York. The collision resulted in damage to the airplane’s nose, the loss of two pilots, and injuries to dozens of people.