No Injuries... Well, Except To Planes

If you were on Air China's flight Saturday from JFK to Beijing, your plans were put on hold for a day due to a ramp mishap.

The left wing of an Air China 747 backing out of a gate at JFK's Terminal 1 clipped the tail of a Delta 767 plane on the taxiway Saturday afternoon, but no one was injured, authorities reported.

The Air China flight had 215 passengers and 23 crew members on board, said Tony Ciavolella, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages the airports. The aircraft was pushing back from the gate when it apparently bumped the 767 across the taxiway.

The Delta 767-300 was empty, as the plane was in a pre-boarding phase on its way to Nice, France, said Delta spokeswoman Katie Connell.

Both planes were taken out of service to repair damage from the 4:55 pm accident, said the Port Authority.

The Air China flight was rescheduled with another plane for Sunday. The Delta passengers took another plane at 7:10 pm, an hour after their originally scheduled flight, Connell said.

The FAA is investigating the incident. No other flights at JFK were affected.

FMI: www.panynj.gov/aviation/jfkframe.HTM, www.delta.com, www.fly-airchina.com