Flights at Manchester Airport were temporarily suspended on Friday morning after two EasyJet aircraft collided while taxiing for departure.
The incident occurred at around 6:30am, when the wingtips of planes bound for Paris and Gibraltar made contact on the runway approach.
Both aircraft returned to their stands, where all passengers safely disembarked. There were no reported injuries. Emergency services, including several fire crews, attended the scene as safety inspections were carried out.
According to the airport, operations were paused briefly to assess the situation before resuming a few minutes later. The collision was described by a passenger on the Gibraltar flight as feeling similar to a car crash, with the entire plane shaking on impact.
EasyJet confirmed the incident and launched an immediate investigation to determine the cause. Passengers affected were given refreshment vouchers while replacement aircraft were arranged for the disrupted flights. The airline emphasised that passenger and crew safety remains its top priority.
The flights involved were EZY2267 to Gibraltar and EZY2117 to Paris Charles de Gaulle. Despite the busy mid-August travel period, the airport’s live departure board showed no significant delays to other flights following the incident.
