Delta Airlines has officially admitted that two of their planes collided at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Tuesday morning.
In a statement, the airline said: “At approximately 10:07 a.m., the wing of an Airbus A350 taxiing out as DL295 from Atlanta to Tokyo-Haneda made contact with the tail of an Endeavor Air CRJ-900, DL5526 to Lafayette, Louisiana, on an adjacent taxiway, resulting in damage to the tail of the regional jet and the wing of the A350,” the airline said.
“There have been no reported injuries at this time, and customers are being transported back to the terminal where they will be accommodated on alternate flights. There were 221 customers on DL295 and 56 customers on DL5526. At this time, no additional operational adjustments are expected.”
Delta added that it is cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and other authorities as they investigate the incident.
The collision took place as one of the flights was preparing for takeoff to Lafayette, Louisiana. Eyewitnesses reported that the A350 clipped the back end of the regional jet, startling passengers onboard both planes.
Meteorologist Jason Adams, who was a passenger on one of the planes, described the collision as “very jarring.” He shared on social media: “Metal scraping sounds then loud bangs. We’re fine. No fire or smoke.”
Adams noted that passengers were evacuated onto the tarmac and awaited further instructions. Delta has apologized for the inconvenience and is working to re-accommodate affected passengers. The cause of the collision remains under investigation.
Hartsfield-Jackson, the world’s busiest airport, has faced scrutiny recently after a tragic incident in which two Delta employees died during routine maintenance when a plane tyre exploded earlier this summer. The airport serves as a major hub for Delta’s operations.
