ZCZC
BFF-39
SKOREA-NAMIBIA-AVIATION-ACCIDENT
Two planes in ‘minor’ collision at Frankfurt airport
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Nov 17, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – An Air Namibia plane collided
with a Korean Air jet after landing at Frankfurt airport on Saturday evening,
officials said, adding that no one was injured.
Both aircraft were damaged in what Air Namibia on Sunday called “a minor
accident”.
A spokeswoman for Frankfurt airport said the incident happened at around
6:00 pm (1700 GMT) on Saturday. She said no one was injured and the reasons
for the crash remain unclear.
“The left wing of an Air Namibia plane collided with the horizontal
stabiliser of Korean Air flight KE905 as it was waiting on the taxiway after
landing,” Korean Air said in a statement.
The Korean Air plane was carrying 241 passengers and 40 crew at the time,
it said.
“We confirm that no passengers and crew were hurt,” Air Namibia added in
its own statement.
Korea Air said its Seoul-bound return flight was delayed by 21 hours as a
result, adding that affected passengers had been offered accommodation.
A replacement aircraft was set to take off on Sunday afternoon.
Air Namibia said it had likewise offered accommodation to 244 passengers
due to travel from Frankfurt to Windhoek, as the airline looked for
alternative flights.
Germany’s Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) has
opened an investigation into the cause of the collision.
The damage to the two jets was still being assessed, a BFU spokesman said.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1921 hrs