Two Qantas Boeing 737-800 aircraft collided at Perth Airport (PER) in Australia as passengers on one of the planes involved in the incident were disembarking.
According to Qantas, a Boeing 737 that was parked was struck on the wingtip by another 737’s wingtip as it was taxiing to the gate next to it.
The collision resulted in passengers on the stationary 737 experiencing a “jolt” as they were leaving the plane after landing from Brisbane.
The 737 taxiing at the time had just arrived from Canberra and was described by Qantas as traveling at a “low speed” when it hit the other aircraft.
Following the incident at around 21:00 (local time) on March 3, 2024, the captain of the stationary plane advised passengers to continue leaving the aircraft.
“While approaching the gate at low speed, the wingtip of one aircraft has come into contact with the wingtip of another stationary aircraft at the adjacent gate,” Qantas said in a statement.
Two Qantas 737s collide on the ground at Perth Airport. A flight landing from Canberra clipped the wing of a stationary plane as the former approached the gate. pic.twitter.com/RLByBVToJn
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) March 3, 2024
A spokesperson for the airline added: “Customers and crew who were disembarking the stationary aircraft felt a jolt when the wingtips made contact. After assessing the situation, the captain advised customers to continue to disembark as usual.”
The airline confirmed that engineers are inspecting the two aircraft and an investigation into the incident has been launched by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).
There were no injuries to passengers or staff on either plane.