Aircraft collision at Heathrow

In an unexpected incident, a Virgin Atlantic 787 collided with a British Airways Airbus A350 on the tarmac, in front of shocked eyewitnesses.

The collision occurred on Saturday, April 6, as the Virgin aircraft, assisted by a ground tug, accidentally struck the British Airways plane’s tail with its winglets.

This accident took place at London’s Heathrow Airport at Terminal 3 which prompted immediate action from the airport’s response teams.

Emergency services swift to respond

Following the collision, emergency teams were quickly dispatched to the scene. The Virgin Atlantic jet was not carrying any passengers at the time, thankfully the are no reports of any injuries from the incident.

According to The Standard, a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson commented, ‘The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority. We can confirm no customers were on board the Virgin Atlantic aircraft during this time.’

Investigation underway

The incident, which will be thoroughly investigated by the Air Accident Investigation Branch of the Department of Transport, raises questions about ground safety protocols.

Both airlines have begun assessing the damage and conducting necessary repairs, with the Virgin plane temporarily withdrawn from service.

‘We’ve commenced a full and thorough investigation and our engineering teams are performing maintenance checks on the aircraft, which for now has been taken out of service,’ added the Virgin Atlantic spokesperson.

Impact on flight schedules

The British Airways flight, arriving from Accra, Ghana, faced delays, pushing its return journey from an initial 12.40 pm to a rescheduled 6.30 pm departure. The disruption hints at the logistical challenges airports face when unforeseen incidents occur.

Heathrow has at least five fire engines on standby for potential hazards, the event underscores the constant vigilance required in airport operations.

As investigations continue, the aviation community awaits the outcome into the sequence of events that led to this rare tarmac encounter, in the hope to further reduce such risks in the future.