Manchester Airport experienced an unusual incident on Friday morning after two EasyJet planes collided with their wings on the runway, causing air traffic chaos and the delay and cancellation of several flights.
The incident, described by some sources to The Mirror as “not the best start to a travel day,” temporarily halted flights at the airport, one of the largest in the UK, for necessary safety checks.
According to passengers on one of the planes, they saw the debris scatter on the runway after the collision, while a photo taken by one of them showed part of the plane’s wing clearly damaged.
Passenger said, “I was on board at Manchester Airport when another plane collided with our wing, causing it to separate.”
EasyJet said in an official statement that the wingtips of the two planes touched while en route to the runway.
The airline confirmed that the two planes would not depart the airport and that alternative aircraft would be provided for affected passengers.
The airline added that it returned the two planes to their landing sites, where passengers were given refreshment vouchers.
The airline apologized for the delay, assuring that “the safety of passengers and crew is our top priority.”
According to the Manchester Evening News, one of the planes was en route to Gibraltar and the other to Paris, and both were scheduled to take off at 6:15 am.
Images shared online showed an airport worker carrying a piece of an EasyJet wing while removing debris from the crash site.
Several passengers took to social media to describe the incident, with one writing: “Not a good start for EasyJet. Two planes collided at Manchester Airport, and one lost half of its wing!”
Another said: “Flights have now resumed, but both planes appear to have suffered wing damage, particularly the G-EZUN.”
Among those impacted were a family on their way to Disneyland Paris, who were forced to face flight delays.
“This is how our journey to Disney Paris began from Manchester Airport EasyJet,” the family wrote on social media.
