Delta Air Lines Plane Wing Strikes Regional Jet at Atlanta Airport

Delta Air Lines reported that one of its Airbus A350 planes collided with the tail of an Endeavor Air regional jet at Atlanta airport. The FAA will investigate the incident, which caused damage to both aircraft. No injuries were reported among the passengers of either flight.

Delta Air Lines announced on Tuesday that the wing of one of its Airbus A350 planes struck a regional jet while taxiing for departure at Atlanta airport, resulting in damage to both aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation into the incident, which occurred at the intersection of two taxiways around 10:10 a.m. ET.

The A350, bound for Tokyo-Haneda, hit the tail of an Endeavor Air CRJ-900 en route to LaFayette, Louisiana. Endeavor Air, a subsidiary of Delta, reported no injuries among the 221 passengers on the A350 and the 56 passengers on the CRJ-900. The incident has raised further concerns about U.S. aviation safety, especially after several near-miss incidents last year prompted the National Transportation Safety Board to call for enhanced collision-prevention technology.

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker stated at an industry conference that new alert technologies have been deployed at some airports, alerting controllers if an aircraft is on the wrong runway or taxiway. He mentioned that close-call incidents decreased by more than half in the year's first half but emphasized the need for continued improvements.

(With inputs from agencies.)