Published on •Updated
Two planes collided at Miami International Airport Saturday evening, leaving two people with minor injuries, authorities said.
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said a Copa Airlines Boeing 737 struck the nose of a UPS Boeing 767 while both planes were taxiing at the southeast Florida airport.
“Air traffic controllers had asked the UPS crew to give way to the Copa flight,” the agency said, adding that the Copa flight was taxiing toward the gate and the UPS flight was taxiing for departure to Bogotá.
In a statement to Euronews, MIA communications director Greg Chin said the incident occurred around 9:15 p.m. and there had been “no impact on airport operations” with flights being diverted to other taxiways.
“Two patients were treated on scene by the Miami-Dade Fire Department for minor injuries and did not require medical transport,” he added.
Copa Airlines has confirmed that one of its planes was involved in a collision at the airport while taxiing to the terminal after arriving from Panama City.
“According to preliminary information, a collision occurred between a cargo plane and the left wingtip of the Boeing 737-800NG while both aircraft were taxiing on the airport taxiways,” the carrier said.
There were 166 passengers and six crew members on board the Copa plane when the incident occurred, it continued, adding that it regretted “any inconvenience and concern this situation may have caused” and that the safety of its passengers and crew remained its priority.
Images circulating on social media appear to show damage to the nose of the UPS plane.
It came as travelers across the United States continued to face disruption following a nationwide ground shutdown that caused chaos at airports over the weekend.
Thousands of flights were canceled on Friday and Saturday after the shutdown – which was lifted on Friday evening – was ordered due to a “telecommunications outage”.
Airlines expect to return to full operating schedules by Sunday evening, the FAA said.
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