A Virgin Atlantic aircraft due to fly from New York to London had to be towed back to the terminal after reportedly “clipping” wings with another aircraft while taxiing to take off.
The right wing of an EgyptAir aircraft heading to Cairo collided with the left wing of the Virgin Atlantic aircraft at JFK airport.
Pictures from the scene showed the Virgin Atlantic aircraft wing tip being loaded onto the back of a truck following the incident just after 7pm on Monday.
There were no reports of any injuries, but the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said both aircraft returned to the terminal.
Wingtip…im the back of a truck, unfortunately.. pic.twitter.com/B0Bx7jtW8s
— Kevin O'Hara (@kevintohara) November 28, 2017
One passenger on the London-bound flight, Diana Fleischman, posted on Twitter: “Was about to fly to London on Virgin Flight VS0004 out of JFK – during taxi to the runway we collided with an aircraft taxiing next to us clipping our left wing.”
She added: “We’re missing the tip of the wing on the left side.”
Passengers eventually boarded another flight to London.
A Virgin Atlantic spokesman told the London Evening Standard: “Our VS4 flight from New York to London Heathrow sustained damage to the wingtip whilst taxing to the runway at JFK airport yesterday (November 27).
“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.”