Planes clip wings at Japanese airport

The Korean Air flight had 289 passengers and crew members on board, an airline official said.

Japanese media reports had conflicting information on whether passengers were on board the Cathay Pacific aircraft. Cathay Pacific Airways could not immediately be reached for comment.

The incident happened on Tuesday at New Chitose Airport amid wintry conditions when a towing car, which was pushing the Korean Air plane backwards ahead of departure, slipped due to snow on the ground.

The airplane's left wing clipped the Cathay Pacific plane's right tail wing, the Korean Air official said.

Korean Air Lines' initial assessment attributed the cause to a ground handler that was towing the airplane in heavy snow, the airline official said.

An airport spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.