Planes collide on Indonesian runway

JAKARTA: Two passenger planes collided at an airport in the Indonesian city of Medan yesterday, an airline spokesman said, the latest incident to hit the country’s beleaguered aviation sector.

A Boeing airplane operated by Lion Air was taxiing along the runway after landing at Kualanamu airport on the island of Sumatra when it clipped the wing of a Wings Air plane waiting to depart for Meulaboh in Aceh province.

No one was injured in the incident and authorities are investigating the cause of the collision.

Pictures on social media showed damage to the left wing of the Lion Air plane and the right wing of the Wings Air plane, both part of the Lion Group.

“All passengers are in good condition, no one was injured. Both planes are now at the apron ...” Andy Saladin, a spokesman for Lion Air said.

Indonesia’s air travel industry is booming, with the number of domestic passengers growing significantly over the past decade. – AFP