Japan Airlines A350 On Fire At Tokyo's Haneda Airport

02 January, 2024

5 min read

Passenger News
Geoffrey Thomas

Geoffrey Thomas

By joining our newsletter, you agree to our Privacy Policy

Share this story

Geoffrey Thomas

Geoffrey Thomas

02 January, 2024

A Japan Airlines Airbus A350-900 caught fire on landing at Tokyo's Haneda Airport after it collided with a Coast Guard plane.

The Japan Airlines flight was JL516, an Airbus A350-941, on a domestic flight from Sapparo.

"We are currently assessing the extent of the damage," the airline said, according to an NHK report.

All 379 passengers and crew on board were evacuated.

Tragically, five crew members have died on the second aircraft, a De Havilland Canada DHC-8 (below), operated by the Japan Coast Guard (JCG), according to Japan public broadcaster NHK. It said the plane’s captain was in a critical condition.

The DHC8 photographed by Stephen Mason

Below is a video about the evacuation of the Japan Airlines A350.

Haneda Airport is Japan's busiest with over 490 flights per day. The airport was closed immediately after the incident causing disruption globally. Information from FlightRadar24 shows the extent of the cancellations and diversions.

All departures from Tokyo Haneda have been cancelled for the time been.
The Arrivals board shows the extent of the re-routes to alternate airports.

In a statement Airbus said:

"Airbus regrets to confirm that an A350-900 operated by Japan Airlines was involved in an accident during flight JAL516 from Sapporo New Chitose Airport to Haneda International Airport shortly after 17:47 (local time) on 02 January 2024. All 367 passengers and 12 crew members on-board evacuated the aircraft.

"The A350 collided with a DHC-8 aircraft at landing in Haneda. The Japanese authorities have since confirmed that sadly five of the six people on board the DHC-8 did not survive. The exact circumstances of the event are still unknown.

"The aircraft involved in the accident, registered under the number JA13XJ, was MSN 538, delivered to Japan Airlines from the production line on 10 November 2021. It was powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.

"In line with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annex 13 recommendations, Airbus will provide technical assistance to the Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA) of France and to the Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) in charge of the investigation. For this purpose, Airbus is presently dispatching a team of specialists to assist the Authorities.

"Further updates will be provided as soon as consolidated information is available and Airbus is authorised to release them.

"Our concerns and sympathy go to the families, friends and loved ones affected by the accident."

JOIN: AirlineRatings.com YouTube Channel

GET: Accurate MH370 Information From AirlineRatings.com Newsletter

Airlineratings.com is packed with information about air travel and answers questions that many of us may have thought of, but didn’t know who to ask. Well, now you do!

Airlineratings.com was developed to provide everyone in the world with a one-stop shop for everything related to airlines, formed by a team of aviation editors, who have forensically researched nearly every airline in the world.

Our rating system is rated from one to seven stars on safety – with seven being the highest ranking. Within each airline, you will find the country of origin, airline code, booking URL and seat map information. The rating system takes into account a number of different factors related to audits from aviation’s governing bodies, lead associations as well as the airline’s own safety data. Every airline has a safety rating breakdown so you can see exactly how they rate.

Over 230 of the airlines on the site that carry 99 per cent of the world’s passengers have a product rating. Given that low-cost, regional and full-service carriers are so different we have constructed a different rating system for each which can be found within each airline

Get the latest news and updates straight to your inbox

No spam, no hassle, no fuss, just airline news direct to you.

By joining our newsletter, you agree to our Privacy Policy

Find us on social media

Comments

No comments yet, be the first to write one.