BURBANK, Calif. (CNS) — The primary departure runway at Hollywood Burbank Airport was closed Friday after two unoccupied jetliners were damaged on the ground while one of them was being towed.
"The wingtip of an American Airlines Boeing 737 struck the wingtip of an Alaska Airlines Airbus A320 in the gate area at Hollywood Burbank Airport around 6:23 a.m.," according to a Federal Aviation Administration statement.
"The American aircraft was being towed when the incident occurred. Neither aircraft was occupied. Both aircraft will be inspected before further flight."
Following the "wingtip collision," officials closed Runway 15/33, which is the airport's "primary departure runway," said Nerissa Sugars, a spokesperson for the airport.
"The FAA is investigating the incident, which occurred ... during an aircraft repositioning tow operation of an American Airlines 737-800 from Gate B-1 to Terminal A, the plane clipped the wingtip of an Alaska Airlines A320 parked at Gate B-2," Sugars said.
American Airlines issued the following statement:
"On Aug. 20, an American Airlines Boeing 737-8 aircraft made contact with a nearby aircraft while being towed to the gate. There were no customers on board and currently there are no reported injuries. The aircraft has been taken out of service for maintenance and all customers have been re-accommodated on later flights. We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience this has caused."
"The airport remained open during the incident, and Runway 15/33 has reopened for operations," Sugars reported late Friday morning.