ANA airliners collide at Japan airport, no injuries reported

TOKYO - Two passenger planes with Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) experienced a minor collision on Thursday in western Japan's Itami Airport, with no injuries reported among the passengers and crew members.

Kansai Airports, the airport's operator, said the incident happened at around 10:10 a.m. local time (0110 GMT) at the domestic terminal when a collision happened between the right wings of two ANA airliners.

Both aircraft had passengers and crew members on board, but no injuries were reported among them, said the operator.

According to the ANA, the right wings of Flight 1637, which was waiting for departure at the gate, and Flight 422, attempting to enter the gate after landing, came into contact.

Some 10 flights departing or arriving at Itami Airport have been canceled due to the accident. Also referred to as Osaka International Airport, it is the primary regional airport for the Kansai region of Japan.

Detailed investigations into the cause and circumstances of the collision are still underway.

Last month, a Japan Airlines passenger plane heading from New Chitose Airport to Tokyo's Haneda Airport collided with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft after landing at Haneda, with both aircraft catching fire.

Although all 379 passengers and crew members on board the passenger plane evacuated, five of the six crew members aboard the Japan Coast Guard aircraft were killed, while the captain who managed to escape was severely injured. The accident led to over 300 flight cancellations.

In a separate accident, a Korean Air aircraft and a Cathay Pacific plane slightly collided on the ground at New Chitose Airport in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido on Jan 16, raising safety concerns among the public, although no injuries were reported.