Two aircraft collide at Miami International Airport, two people hurt

Two aircraft collided on Saturday night at Miami International Airport in southeastern Florida, US: a Copa Airlines passenger flight, operated by the Panamanian carrier with a Boeing 737, and a UPS cargo plane, a Boeing 767. Officials said two people sustained minor injuries. Both planes were moving along the airport's taxiways when they met.

What happened

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the US civil aviation regulator, said the Copa aircraft struck the nose of the UPS plane. According to the agency, air traffic controllers had instructed the UPS crew to give way to the Copa flight. The Copa plane was taxiing to its gate, while the UPS plane was heading for departure to Bogotá.

Greg Chin, the airport's communications director, told Euronews the incident occurred at around 9:15 pm and had no impact on airport operations, as flights were redirected to other taxiways. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue treated two patients at the scene for minor injuries; neither needed to be taken to hospital.

Copa Airlines confirmed one of its aircraft, arriving from Panama City, was involved. Based on preliminary information, the collision was between a cargo aircraft and the left wing tip of the Boeing 737-800NG. There were 166 passengers and six crew members aboard. The airline said it regretted any inconvenience and concern, and that the safety of passengers and crew remained its priority.

Images circulating on social media appear to show damage to the nose of the UPS aircraft.

Background

The incident came as travellers across the US continued to face disruption after a nationwide ground stop caused by a telecommunications outage. Thousands of flights were cancelled on Friday and Saturday. The stoppage was lifted on Friday evening, and the FAA has said airlines expect to return to full schedules by Sunday night.