A Japan Airlines plane that was taxiing on the tarmac of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport apparently struck the tail of a parked Delta aircraft on Wednesday morning, airport authorities said.
Authorities responded to the incident around 10:17 a.m., the airport said on X. There were no injuries, and airport authorities were working to get the passengers off the airplane and bring them back to the terminal.
Delta spokesperson Samantha Moore Facteau said in an email that its Boeing 737 was waiting to have ice removed from its exterior when the wing tip of another aircraft reportedly made contact with its tail. Deicing, as it's known, can occur before a flight begins to taxi to the runway, she said.
There were 142 passengers onboard Delta flight 1921 to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and they were being transferred to a new aircraft, she said. There were no reports of injuries for crew or passengers.
Japan Airlines did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Jason Chan, one of the passengers on the Delta flight, said the plane “jiggled back and forth” and shook a little bit when the collision occurred. Shortly after, the captain announced that the plane's tail had been hit. Passengers remained calm, Chan said, and eventually left the plane to be bused back to the terminal.
Chan said the whole incident seemed “surreal,” but that he and the six friends he was traveling with were making the most of it while waiting in the lounge for their rescheduled flight.
Airport operations were minimally impacted as the incident occurred on a taxi lane, authorities said.
