Virgin Atlantic and EgyptAir planes collide on the runway leaving ‘half a wing missing’
The aircraft collided at JFK Airport in New York
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Your support makes all the difference.Passengers aboard a Virgin Atlantic plane at New York’s JFK Airport were given a scare when it was struck by an EgyptAir aircraft while taxiing on the runway.
The incident took place on 28 November, when the Virgin flight was due to fly to London while the EgyptAir plane was destined for Cairo.
No one was hurt in the crash, but part of the wing was severely damaged, and both flights were grounded for hours.
Vicky Compton, 35, from Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, was on board the Virgin Atlantic flight with her mother when the plane was clipped.
She told MailOnline: “It was very scary. I could hear the engines building up. Then there was a huge almighty crash. The girl on the other side said that half the wing was missing.
“We took a picture. The EgyptAir plane just clipped us. One of the ground staff said the Egyptian aircraft had a lower wing. If they had clipped the engine it could have been a major incident.”
Passengers were left waiting for two hours on the plane before a decision was made on what to do.
“Ground staff were getting different information,” said Ms Compton. “We were initially offered the chance to fly without our bags. Some people did this. But it was a bit chaotic. Eventually we were towed back to the terminal.
“It took us about two hours. They made us run through the building to the bus which was going to take us to the hotel. Then we had to run back through the terminal and pick up our bags and then return to the bus.”
Ms Compton and her mother were flown out on a British Airways flight to London Heathrow the next day, while other passengers were delayed by five hours; others were rerouted through Chicago or Boston.
The US Federal Aviation Administration reported that the right wing of the Virgin Atlantic Airbus A333 touched the left wing of the EgyptAir Boeing 777 when both were on the runway.
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: “Our VS4 flight from New York to London Heathrow sustained damage to the wing-tip whilst taxiing to the runway at JFK airport yesterday.
“Safety is always our priority, and all passengers and crew disembarked the aircraft as normal.
“We're arranging alternate travel for affected customers to enable them to continue their journeys as soon as possible, and we would like to thank them for their understanding during the delay.”
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