08 February 2024 , 14:14
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A busy US airport faced carnage this morning as two Jet Blue planes collided on the ground.
Passengers planning to travel on the flights had their travel plans thrown into chaos as the two jets collided on the tarmac at Boston Logan International Airport. Photos shared by passengers on board one of the planes show a chunk missing from one of its wings.
One of the planes involved was the Jet Blue flight 777 scheduled to depart Boston at around 6am local time en route to Las Vegas ahead of the big Super Bowl weekend. The other flight, which had been scheduled to depart Boston within minutes of the first was heading to Orlando, Florida.
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement: "JetBlue Flight 777, an Airbus A321neo's left winglet struck the right horizontal stabiliser of JetBlue Flight 551, an Airbus A321, around 6.40am, local time, on Thursday, February 8, while on the deicing pad at Boston Logan International Airport. The FAA will investigate."
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The wingtip of one flight made contact with the tail of the other (Boston 25)
The planes were reportedly in the de-icing area when the collision happened (Boston 25)Dave Sauter was on board the JetBlue flight headed to Las Vegas to work at a Super Bowl event when the incident happened after they pulled away from the gate. He said the plane was full, speaking to local outlet Boston 25 while waiting on the tarmac to go back to the gate.
No injuries were reported as a result of the collision which saw the wingtip of the Las Vegas flight making contact with the Orlando flight's tail. Both flights were cancelled, Jennifer Mehigan of the Massachusetts Port Authority told local outlets.
Ms Mehigan said the planes "made contact while in the de-icing area" and described the collision as "very minor". Passengers said they were moved off the planes and onto other aircraft following the collision.
In a statement, JetBlue said: "On Thursday, February 8, a JetBlue aircraft entering a de-icing pad lane at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) came into contact with another JetBlue aircraft on an adjacent de-icing pad lane, causing damage to one aircraft’s winglet and the other aircraft’s tail section. No injuries were reported by customers or crewmembers on either aircraft.
"Both aircraft will be taken out of service for repairs, and JetBlue flight 777 to Las Vegas and JetBlue flight 551 to Orlando will operate on other aircraft. Safety is JetBlue’s priority, and we will work to determine how and why this incident occurred."
One passenger took to X, formerly Twitter, following the incident to share their frustration at what had happened. Writing to JetBlue, they said: "Our plane collided with another plane on the runway. You have to be some kind of stupid to let that happen.
"Your continuous downfall as the worst airline available is truly remarkable and should be studied. You are a bunch of morons."