‘Pretty big jolt:’ A Japan Airlines plane hits a Delta aircraft at Sea-Tac Airport

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) confirmed in a post on X one passenger airplane struck another on a taxi line Wednesday morning.

The collision happened between the S Concourse and the south airport maintenance hangars.

According to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the right wing of Japan Airlines Flight JL68 struck the tail of Delta Air Lines Flight 1921 while the planes were taxiing at the airport late Wednesday morning.

The aircraft were in an area that is not under air traffic control and the federal agency temporarily paused some flights to the airport as a result of the incident.

The FAA stated it will investigate.

Kassie McKnight, aviation communications and marketing manager for SEA, told KIRO Newsradio the Port of Seattle and police at SEA responded to the incident at approximately 10:17 a.m.

“The incident involved a taxing Japan Airlines aircraft that appears to have struck the tail of a parked Delta Air Lines aircraft,” McKnight explained. “There are no injuries reported at this time as SEA is working with both airlines to safely deplane passengers and bring them to the terminal.” Delta confirmed that detail in a statement sent to KIRO Newsradio.

McKnight added that passengers are encouraged to check with their airlines regarding delays. The FAA offered the same advice and also suggested fliers check its airport status webpage for real-time conditions.

As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, FlightAware, which bills itself as “a digital aviation company that operates the world’s largest flight tracking and data platform is reporting,” says 96 flights out of SEA were delayed Wednesday and 13 more were canceled.

More from the airport: Sea-Tac sees travel at levels ‘even stronger’ than before the COVID-19 pandemic

Japan Airlines issues apology regarding plane collision

Japan Airlines issued a statement Wednesday apologizing for “any inconvenience” and providing a brief report on what occurred with Flight JL68.

“While taxiing upon arrival at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (from Narita International Airport), the right wing of the flight JL68 aircraft came into contact with the tail of another aircraft,” the airline stated in a press memo to KIRO Newsradio. “There were no injuries reported to the customers or the crew onboard, and we sincerely apologize to all involved for any inconvenience. The detailed cause and circumstances are currently under investigation.”

According to Japan Airlines, there were 172 passengers and 13 crew members on the flight, more specifically, three in the cockpit crew and 10 in the cabin crew.

Delta confirms one of its planes was struck

Delta confirmed in a statement sent to KIRO Newsradio that a collision involving one its planes occurred.

“While in sequence for deicing, the tail of a Delta 737 aircraft reportedly made contact with a wing tip of another airline’s aircraft,” a Delta spokesperson stated. “There are no reports of injuries for crew or customers on the flight, and we apologize for the experience and delay in travels.”

The airline also revealed details of the aircraft, stating that Delta flight 1921 is a Boeing 737 aircraft and it was carrying 142 customers. The plane was set to complete a trip from Seattle to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Customers were in the process of being put on a new aircraft.

Delta will work with all aviation stakeholders to investigate the matter further.

McKnight said its too early to tell what exactly went wrong.

“Like I mentioned, there’s minimal impact to the airport operations and no injuries to report so that’s the important part and we’re just working on getting the passengers off the planes and getting them into the terminal,” she added.

Passengers react to the incident at SEA

Garrett Barfield was on the Japan Airlines aircraft that landed prior to the incident. He said the collision was noticeable and it got his fellow passengers’ attention.

“It was a pretty big jolt on the right side of the plane. And then everyone got up to see what it was and, sure enough, the wing of our plane hit the back wing of a parked Delta plane,” Barfield told KIRO Newsradio in an interview Wednesday.

Barfield went on to say the passengers on his plane stayed on the tarmac for at least two hours. Firefighters also came on the plane to check and make sure everyone was OK before everyone departed.

“Yeah, so they brought out those bubble stairs and from there, it was just a bus to the terminal. It wasn’t very far, maybe 100 meters,” Barfield said to KIRO Newsradio.

Barfield added that the recent deadly plane crashes in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia were a the top of passengers’ minds.

“A lot of people were mentioning about (that). There definitely has been an uptick in plane incidents recently for whatever reason. But … There (were) a fair number of people that were concerned,” Barfield explained.

Barfield added he still feels safe to fly.

A warning to Sea-Tac Airport drivers: Don’t park on the shoulder or tech will soon get you

Jason Chan, one of the passengers on the Delta flight, told The Associated Press the plane “jiggled back and forth” and shook a little bit when the collision occurred. Shortly after, the captain announced that the plane’s tail had been hit. Passengers remained calm, Chan said, and eventually left the plane to be bused back to the terminal.

Chan said the whole incident seemed “surreal,” but that he and the six friends he was traveling with were making the most of it while waiting in the lounge for their rescheduled flight.

At approximately 10:17 a.m. this morning, Port of Seattle Fire, Police and SEA operations responded to an incident on the ramp at SEA on a taxi line between S Concourse and the south airport maintenance hangars. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/lhDKdShN50

— Seattle-Tacoma Intl. Airport (@flySEA) February 5, 2025

A KIRO Newsradio listener texted photos from the scene of the incident that appear to show damage to the Delta jet.

Contributing: Heather Bosch and Frank Lenzi, KIRO Newsradio; Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest; The Associated Press