The incident

Tokyo, Airbus catches fire after collision with Coast Guard plane: 379 passengers evacuated, 5 dead

All flights departing and arriving at Tokyo's Haneda airport, one of Japan's busiest airports, have been suspended

2 January 2024

Tokyo, aereo a fuoco in pista: il velivolo avvolto dalle fiamme

2' min read

It split in two, engulfed in flames, the Japan Airlines plane that burst into flames on the runway of Haneda airport in Tokyo after a collision with a Coast Guard aircraft. This was reported by broadcaster Nhk, which is broadcasting live pictures of the fire.

Tokyo, la polizia ispeziona gli aerei dopo lo scontro

All of the approximately 400 people (367 passengers and 12 crew members) on board were evacuated. Japan Airlines (Jal) reported that the aircraft on the runway at Haneda Airport was Flight 516, coming from New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido prefecture. On landing, a collision occurred with a Coast Guard aircraft on the runway.

The death of five people who were on board the latter aircraft has been confirmed. This was reported by the Japanese Ministry of Transport.

The coast guard plane was headed to the Niigata airport base to assist with earthquake relief. This was reported by Sky News. It was a Bombardier Dash-8 aircraft, a short-range propeller-driven plane that typically has between 50 and 80 seats.

Aereo prende fuoco all’aeroporto di Tokyo Haneda
Photogallery9 foto

A total of six people were on board the Coast Guard aircraft. According to broadcaster Nhk explaining that a member of the Coast Guard involved in the accident managed to save himself after the collision. This was confirmed by the Minister of Transport: 'The captain of the plane escaped.

In addition, all departing and arriving flights at Tokyo's Haneda airport, one of Japan's busiest airports, were suspended. This was announced by Japan Airlines.

Government authorities launched an internal investigation to determine the cause of the accident. The last air disaster in Japan occurred in 1985, when a Japan Airlines jumbo jet, which took off from Tokyo and headed for Osaka, crashed in Gunma prefecture, killing all 520 people on board. It is one of the biggest disasters in modern civil aviation.

A passenger's testimony

Swedish Anton Deibe, 17, a passenger on the Japan Airlines plane, told the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet that 'the entire cabin filled with smoke within minutes. We threw ourselves to the ground. Then the emergency doors were opened and we rushed in that direction. It was hell. We had no idea where to go, so we ran out onto the runway. It was chaos,' he added.

Kishida calls for damage assessment

'The authorities must ascertain the damage quickly', is the appeal of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in initial reactions to the collision between two aircraft at Tokyo airport. In a post on X, the premier's office states that it wants to ensure that 'damage is quickly ascertained' and pledges to 'provide adequate information to the public'. The BBC reports.

Smoke on Rome-Boston flight, emergency landing in Ireland

A Delta Airlines flight from Rome to Boston was forced to make an emergency landing in Ireland on New Year's Eve after smoke was detected in the cabin. This was reported by several international media, explaining that the plane launched the emergency while in flight over the Atlantic: flight DL-113 was en route to Boston, with 294 passengers and crew on board, when, at around 11.20 a.m., the Airbus A330-900 was forced to declare an emergency while about 230 kilometres off the coast of Ireland and then diverted and landed at Shannon airport. No consequences for passengers and crew.

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