{"id":61025,"date":"2024-04-06T19:43:45","date_gmt":"2024-04-06T14:13:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=61025"},"modified":"2024-05-29T20:13:32","modified_gmt":"2024-05-29T14:43:32","slug":"virgin-atlantic-787-british-a350-collided-at-london-heathrow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/06\/virgin-atlantic-787-british-a350-collided-at-london-heathrow\/","title":{"rendered":"Virgin Atlantic 787 and British A350 Collided at London Heathrow"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

LONDON-<\/strong> A collision occurred between a Virgin Atlantic (VS) <\/a>Boeing 787 and a British Airways (BA)<\/a> Airbus A350 at London Heathrow Airport (LHR)<\/a> on Saturday, prompting a significant emergency response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Witnesses stated that the empty Virgin 787 plane was being towed at Terminal 3 when it made contact with the wing of the British Airways Airbus A350 passenger plane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: Virgin Atlantic <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Virgin Atlantic 787 and British A350 Collided<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Reports suggest that the British Airways plane was carrying passengers and was scheduled to depart for Accra, although British Airways has not officially confirmed this information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the incident, at least five fire engines were dispatched to the scene, and the Air Accident Investigation Branch has initiated an investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both aircraft were moving at a low speed, and there have been no reports of injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A spokesperson for Virgin stated, “During the towing process of one of our empty aircraft from the gate at London Heathrow Terminal 3, the wingtip made contact with another aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The safety of our passengers and crew is our utmost concern at all times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We can confirm that no passengers were aboard the Virgin Atlantic aircraft at the time of the incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We have initiated a comprehensive investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Our engineering teams are conducting thorough maintenance checks on the aircraft, which has been temporarily removed from service.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The airline mentioned that the aircraft has been withdrawn from service, and engineering teams are conducting maintenance checks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s been clarified that the incident hasn’t affected Virgin Atlantic’s flight schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The towing operation was conducted by a ground-handling company contracted by Virgin Atlantic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: By Steve Lynes from Sandshurst, United Kingdom – EGLL – Airbus A350 – British Airways – G-XWBD, CC BY 2.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=86109650<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Passenger Observation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Alex Whittles, a passenger on another aircraft, observed the incident and shared on Twitter: “Just witnessed a plane collision at Heathrow! A tug pushing back a Virgin 787 <\/a>collided the wing into a British Airways A350.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“He maneuvered the plane directly over the designated hash markings on the ground,” he remarked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The British Airways aircraft had recently landed from the Ghanaian capital, Accra. It was scheduled to depart for the return journey at 12:40 pm from Gate 25 at Terminal 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the departure for the Accra flight has been rescheduled to 6:30 pm. Despite this, the airport’s live flight boards indicate minimal alterations to other flights on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: By Tom\u00e1s Del Coro from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA – G-VIIO British Airways 1999 Boeing 777-236(ER) – cn 29320 \/ ln 182 – Virgin Atlantic Airways Boeing 747-443 G-VROS (cn 30885\/1268) ‘English Rose’, CC BY-SA 2.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=58161084<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Official Statements<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A statement from British Airways stated, “One of our aircraft, while stationary at Heathrow earlier today, was involved in a collision with another airline’s jet, which was being towed from a stand at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Our engineering teams are currently assessing our aircraft, and we have arranged for an alternative aircraft to minimize the inconvenience for our passengers.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Metropolitan Police stated: “At 12:09hrs on Saturday, April 6th, aviation police were notified of a collision involving two aircraft and a tug vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Police officers responded to the scene and determined that the aircraft being towed by the tug collided with the wing of a stationary aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“There were passengers on board one of the aircraft at the time of the collision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“No injuries were reported.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A spokesperson for Heathrow commented: “We are collaborating with emergency services and our airline partners in addressing an incident involving two aircraft on the ground earlier today.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“There have been no reports of passenger injuries, and we foresee no lasting disruption to airport operations.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Join us on Telegram Group <\/a>for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on Google News<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Virgin Atlantic Orlando-Edinburg Flight with A350 Makes Emergency Landing<\/a><\/blockquote>