Two Air Canada flights experienced delays at Vancouver International Airport on Sunday afternoon when their planes touched wingtips on the tarmac. According to an email from Air Canada, the incident occurred as an Air Canada Rouge Airbus A319 was being pushed back from its gate. During this maneuver, the wingtip of the Airbus “made contact” with a parked Jazz Air Canada Express Q400 plane located at a nearby gate.
“No one was injured,” assured Air Canada, adding that affected passengers would be rebooked on other flights to reach their final destinations later in the day.
Sylvie Barma, a passenger aboard the Airbus headed for Quebec, recounted her experience of the collision. “We were shaken by a rather strong blow,” said Barma, who was at the airport waiting for her rescheduled flight. She added that upon looking outside, she noticed a piece of her plane’s wing on the ground. Around 20 minutes later, as the planes were moved, she saw a part of the Q400’s wing fall.
“We still got great service,” Barma mentioned, noting that the situation was well communicated by the pilot. “The situation was well managed.” Another flight was arranged by Air Canada to take passengers to Quebec by 8:15 p.m. PT on Sunday.
While Air Canada did not disclose the total number of affected passengers, it’s worth noting that the Q400 typically seats around 75 passengers, and the Airbus A319 can accommodate between 120 and 156 passengers.
YVR’s fire and rescue team responded to the incident and confirmed that no one was injured. The airport also mentioned that it was expecting around 316,000 travelers over the long weekend.
