Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Flights have resumed at Haneda Airport in Tokyo after a plane crash on Tuesday that left five people dead.

All runways were closed after the accident and incoming flights were redirected to other airports in Japan. Haneda was later reopened except for the runway where the planes collided.

The planes involved were a Japan Airlines Airbus A350 and a Japan Coast Guard fixed-wing Canadian Bombardier assigned to Haneda Air Base. The Japan News reported that the Coast Guard plane was “traveling down the runway” when the accident occurred.

All 379 passengers and crew on the Airbus escaped. The captain of the Japan Coast Guard aircraft escaped with serious injuries but five of his colleagues died in the accident which occurred as the JAL plane from Hokkaido landed.

Haneda is Japan’s busiest airport. It handled nearly 90 million passengers in 2019 prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. It’s a hub for Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, and several smaller airlines.

Long lines formed at Haneda as passengers tried to rearrange travel during the busiest time of the year. Despite resuming operations, many flights at Haneda were canceled.

According to the Japan Coast Guard, the Japan Coast Guard aircraft involved was on its way to deliver supplies to Niigata Air Base in response to the Noto Peninsula earthquake.