Two airplanes clipped wings at a gate at Logan International Airport Monday, according to a Massachusetts Port Authority spokesperson, forcing the cancellation of a Frontier flight to Dallas during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
No one was hurt when the wingtips of the planes touched at Terminal E, though the aircraft will need to be checked for damage, the spokesperson said.
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A Frontier spokesperson told NBC10 Boston that the American Airlines plane made contact with their aircraft for flight 3601 to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport while the Frontier plane was parked waiting to take off. There were 200 people on board the A321, which was preparing to department.
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American Airlines confirmed flight 109 from London Heathrow Airport was pulling into its gate when it made contact with the parked aircraft.
"There were no reported injuries, and customers deplaned the aircraft shortly after. The aircraft has been removed from service for inspection by our maintenance team. We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience this caused," the American Airlines spokesperson wrote.
Both planes had to be deboarded to inspect for damage, Massport said. The Frontier flight was canceled, leaving some passengers frustrated as they had to wait a day or two for a new flight during the busy travel period. Frontier said it is offering rebooking options or full refunds, as well as hotel and meal vouchers.
Monday's incident comes amid what officials expect to be a record travel day ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday and while no one was hurt, it puts a renewed focus on safety concerns during air travel.
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The FAA has been focused on reducing runway incursions at the nation's airports after several near collisions last year, including incidents at Logan Airport.
In February 2023 Logan Airport saw a close call when the pilot of a charter jet took off without permission, cutting into the path of a JetBlue plane that was preparing to land on an intersecting runway. The pilots of the JetBlue flight were able to pull up to avoid the other plane and land safely. Later in June, a United Airlines plane bumped into a parked plane at a low speed.
And in August 2023, an American Airlines flight was told to quickly abort a takeoff after an air traffic controller noticed another aircraft, a Spirit Airlines flight, approaching too close. One passenger recalled feeling a "major jolt" and hearing the tires squeal as the emergency brakes were applied.
No serious injuries were reported in any of the incidents.
In August 2023 the FAA announced Logan Airport would receive $44.9 million in federal funding to make improvements to its runways, part of the federal push to prevent runway incursions and improve safety.
