Investigations Underway After Passenger Planes Clip Wings at Snowy Hokkaido Airport

Two passenger jets clipped wings at an airport in northern Japan this week as one aircraft was taxiing in heavy snow, prompting an investigation.

The incident occurred Tuesday evening at New Chitose Airport on the island of Hokkaido, involving a Korean Air jet carrying 289 passengers and crew and a Cathay Pacific plane with no one onboard.

According to Chitose airport officials, no injuries were reported after the planes made contact around 5:30 p.m. local time. The airport, located near Sapporo, has recently been impacted by winter weather, which likely contributed to the collision.

Both airlines confirmed the incident and said they were cooperating fully with authorities examining the causes. Korean Air stated that its aircraft contacted the Cathay jet during pushback procedures.

Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific noted its empty plane was stationary when struck by the moving Korean Air A330.