SAUDIA JET HITS PARKED PAL PLANE AT NAIA, FLIGHT TO JEDDAH CANCELED

A parked Philippine Airlines (PAL) Airbus A320 was damaged after being struck by the wingtip of a Saudia Boeing 787 during ground operations at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) late Tuesday night.

Initial investigation showed that the incident occurred at around 11:38 p.m., when the left wingtip of the Saudia Boeing 787, carrying 252 passengers and preparing for departure to Jeddah, hit the rudder on the vertical stabilizer (tail fin) of the parked PAL aircraft at Bay 25.

The collision caused extensive damage to the rudder of the PAL aircraft, while the Saudia jet also sustained damage to its left wingtip. No injuries were reported.

In a statement, Philippine Airlines confirmed that one of its parked aircraft was struck by another aircraft during ground maneuvering. The airline said there were no passengers or crew on board the aircraft at the time of the incident.

PAL added that the affected aircraft has been withdrawn from service pending a comprehensive technical assessment.

Meanwhile, the Saudia flight to Jeddah was canceled following the collision.

Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the cause of the ground incident.