A Japan Airlines plane is in flames on the runway of Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Tuesday (Jan 2).
Images on broadcaster NHK showed the plane moving briskly along the runway before an explosion of orange flames burst from beneath it.
The cause of the incident was not immediately clear, but television reports said that the Airbus collided with a coastguard aircraft.
A Japan Airlines spokesperson said the plane was carrying more than 300 passengers on board.
The flight, JL516, had been travelling between Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport and Haneda. It landed at 5.47pm, according to data from flight-tracker Flightradar24.
All runways at Haneda airport are currently closed, says an airport spokesperson. Haneda is one of two international airports serving Tokyo, the other being Narita.
Foreign international airlines serving Haneda include Singapore Airlines, Air Asia X, Cathay Pacific and Emirates, among many others.Public broadcaster NHK, citing Japan Airlines, say roughly 400 people on board the plane have been evacuated. It is unclear at this stage if this refers to everyone on board.
Agencies
