Close Call At New York's LaGuardia Airport As Two United Airlines Planes Collide On Tarmac

Last Updated:November 01, 2025, 15:58 IST

A United Airlines plane returning from Orlando, Florida, was turning into its arrival gate when it clipped the tail of another United jet on the taxiway.

Two United Airlines planes collide on New York’s LaGuardia tarmac (File Photo: AFP)

In a shocking incident, two planes collided on the tarmac at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport on Friday (local time) as the United States faces travel delays due to adverse weather and staffing shortages.

A United Airlines plane returning from Orlando, Florida, was turning into its arrival gate when it clipped the tail of another United jet on the taxiway, according to the New York Post.

The clipped plane, which was waiting to be taxied for its journey to Houston, was stationary at the time during the collision, the news outlet said, quoting an airline spokesperson.

“We all felt a bump during taxi to the runway but didn’t know it was another plane until the captain said it was," a passenger, who declined to share their name, told the New York Post moments after the collision.

Videos shared by American news outlets showed numerous emergency vehicles at the scene after the collision occurred. As per the videos, maintenance crews were seen evaluating the clipped plane for any malfunctions following the collision.

Both flights returned to the gate, and the passengers deplaned normally, the spokesperson added. The airline later initiated the process with the passengers to get them to their destinations.

The authorities made it clear that there were no injuries reported among the two planes’ 328 passengers and 15 crew members.

As per the report, the Houston-bound plane was already running on a 90-minute delay, which continued to grow through the night. After the incident, LaGuardia guarded both the planes several hours earlier because of intense winds.

Ground delays were running at an average of two hours and 15 minutes at LaGuardia, though some planes were delayed as much as five hours. The Weather Service also issued a wind advisory through midnight.

Airports across the country were already grappling with air traffic control staffing shortages, which Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted would cause “disaster" if the shutdown continued into November and into the holidays.

“Unpaid air traffic controllers may be forced to leave work to find a second job to pay their bills, and you’re going to have mass issues throughout the airspace," he warned.

News world Close Call At New York's LaGuardia Airport As Two United Airlines Planes Collide On Tarmac

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