2 Alaska Airlines planes clip wings at Sea-Tac Airport

Two Alaska Airlines planes collided winglets while pushing back from their gates at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Saturday. The incident, which occurred shortly after 1 p. m. , caused delays as officials responded and passengers were required to deplane and board new aircraft. One flight was bound for Orange County, California, while the other was headed to Sacramento.

Alaska Airlines confirmed that there were no injuries and apologized for the inconvenience caused to passengers. The FAA stated that air traffic control does not oversee gate area incidents, emphasizing the unique nature of this occurrence. Ground-service tugs were involved in the pushback when the winglets touched. Alaska Airlines flights 1190 and 1094 were quickly swapped out for other aircraft and have since departed. This incident highlights the importance of ground handling safety in busy airport environments.