Japan Airlines Wing Slices into Delta Air Lines Tail at SeaTac Airport During Collision

Mar. 15, 2025

A Japan Airlines plane collided with a Delta Air Lines flight on the tarmac at the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport on Wednesday, Feb. 5.

Port of Seattle Fire, Police, and SEA operations responded to “an incident on the ramp at SEA on a taxi line between S Concourse and the south airport maintenance hangars” at approximately 10:17 a.m., the airport said in asocial media update.

According to theFederal Aviation Administration (FAA), the right wing of Japan Airlines Flight 68 struck the tail of Delta Air Lines Flight 1921.

File photo of Delta Airlines arriving at Seattle-Tacoma Airport in May 2016.George Rose/Getty

George Rose/Getty

While the FAA said that both flights were taxiing at the time of the collision, the airport said that the Japan Airlines aircraft was taxiing and the Delta Air Lines aircraft was parked.

Delta Air Lines Flight 1921 was set to operate from Seattle to Puerto Vallarta with 142 passengers onboard. According toCBS News, the Japan Airlines plane had just arrived in Seattle from Tokyo.

Image of collision between a Japan Airlines plane and a Delta Air Lines flight.Storyful

Storyful

“While in sequence for deicing, the tail of a Delta 737 aircraft reportedly made contact with a wing tip of another airline’s aircraft. There are no reports of injuries for crew or customers on the flight, and we apologize for the experience and delay in travels,” Delta Air Lines explained in a statement shared with PEOPLE.

Aerial view of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.George Rose/Getty

According to the FAA, the aircraft were in an area not under air traffic control at the time of the incident.

The FAA temporarily paused some flights to the airport afterward. The airport said there was “minimal impact” to airport operations as this occurred on a taxi lane.

In an update later on Wednesday, Seattle–Tacoma International Airport said that passengers on both aircraft deplaned with no reported injuries.

“Airlines are working to accommodate passengers as needed. Airport response crews will be moving the aircraft off of the ramp taxiway,” the update added.

PEOPLE has reached out to Japan Airlines for comment.

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source: people.com