A Vietnam Airlines aircraft collided with another jet from its own fleet on the tarmac of Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport on Friday. The incident occurred at approximately 2 pm when a Boeing 787, taxiing for takeoff to Ho Chi Minh City, struck the tail of a stationary Airbus A321, which was scheduled to fly to Dien Bien.

A dramatic video of the mishap surfaced on social media and showed the Boeing’s right wing slicing through the Airbus’s tail stabiliser. Fortunately, no injuries were reported among passengers or crew.

Following the crash, Vietnam Airlines has suspended all four pilots involved, two from each aircraft, as authorities investigate the cause of the accident. Preliminary findings suggest the Airbus A321 may not have been parked correctly, potentially leading to the collision.

The Boeing aircraft’s wingtip was visibly damaged and both planes were immediately grounded. Replacement flights were arranged to transport the combined 386 passengers to their destinations later in the day.

Vietnam Airlines has commissioned an independent investigation alongside a probe by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), which has classified the incident as a ‘Level B’ event, the second-highest rating on its five-tier safety breach scale. This classification indicates a serious operational disruption requiring the temporary closure of the runway or taxiway. The aviation authority has promised a thorough review to determine whether protocol failures or procedural lapses contributed to the avoidable incident.

After the video surfaced online, social media users expressed their alarm and frustration. One user wrote, “Are the pilots actually blind? What’s even going on in the aviation world?” Another commented, “It really puts me off jumping on a plane.”