Flights were briefly suspended at Manchester Airport this morning after two easyJet aircraft collided while taxiing, damaging the wing of one plane and forcing both out of service.

The incident happened just after 6.30am on Friday, 15 August, as the two planes prepared for departure. Witnesses reported seeing the tips of the aircraft’s wings make contact, with one passenger posting on X: “We’ve crashed on the runway.”

Images shared online show one aircraft with part of its wingtip missing and twisted, with data suggesting it had been due to depart for Gibraltar.

Airport officials temporarily grounded all flights while engineers inspected the damage. Operations resumed later in the morning, but passengers have been warned to expect delays and possible cancellations throughout the day.

Neither of the aircraft involved will leave Manchester today, and alternative travel arrangements are being made for passengers, say Easyjet.

An easyJet spokesperson confirmed that an investigation is underway into the cause of the collision.