TWO passenger planes have crashed on the tarmac at Heathrow – sparking a massive emergency response.
An empty Virgin Atlantic plane collided with a British Airways jet while being towed at Terminal 3, a Virgin spokesperson confirmed.
suppliedTwo passenger planes have crashed on the Heathrow runway[/caption]
The plane’s mangled wing following the runway collisionsupplied
Emergency services scrambled to the scenesupplied
The scene of the collision near Terminal 3
Witnesses said the Virgin jet was being pushed back by a tug when its wing clipped the BA plane’s tail.
No one was on board the Virgin plane, the spokesperson added.
Dramatic snaps show emergency service vehicles scrambling to the chaotic scene.
The Virgin 787 jet had just landed and was being towed to a different part of the airport.
The accident has not disrupted Virgin’s flight schedule from Heathrow.
In a statement, Virgin said: “The wingtip of one of our empty aircraft came into contact with another aircraft while being towed from the stand at London Heathrow Terminal 3.
“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.
“We’ve commenced a full and thorough investigation.
“Our engineering teams are performing maintenance checks on the aircraft, which for now has been taken out of service.”
Witnesses took to social media to express their disbelief over the accidental crash.
Posting on Twitter, Alex Whittles said: “Just witnessed a plane crash at Heathrow!
“A tug pushing back a Virgin 787, crashed the wing into a BA A350.”
Heathrow and BA have been contacted for comment.
More to follow.
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