The CRJ-900 regional jets – operated by Delta subsidiary Endeavor Air – were taxiing at low speed when they suddenly clipped each other at LaGuardia Airport in New York City about 9.56pm.
Miraculously, only a member of cabin crew was injured in the collision despite footage that showed an aircraft wing broken off.
All 85 passengers were deemed safe and deplaned to wait until they could be transferred to different flights.
The travelers have been offered hotel rooms and meals. They will be given new flight options to rebook within hours, the airline said.
The collision marks the latest mishap for the aviation industry, which has faced mounting concerns amid widespread job cuts to the Federal Aviation Administration under President Trump.
A passenger on board the Endeavor flight at LaGuardia described the moment his plane was ‘absolutely smashed’ by the other jet shortly after landing in New York on a trip from Charlotte.
‘We were taxiing to our runway and we got absolutely smashed by another Delta flight… I don’t know if we hit them or they hit us but it was super jarring,’ the CBS News producer said.
‘Everyone shot forward in their seats, it was a little chaotic, we were shocked at what happened.’
A passenger on board described the horror moment his plane was ‘absolutely smashed’ by the other jet shortly after landing in New York on a flight from Charlotte
One plane involved in the crash, Endeavor Air flight 5155, was departing for Roanoke, Virginia. It collided with the fuselage of Endeavor Air flight 5047, the plane which had just arrived in from Charlotte.
‘Delta will work with all relevant authorities to review what occurred as the safety of our customers and people comes before all else,’ an airline spokesperson said. ‘We apologize to our customers for the experience.’
A LaGuardia Airport spokesman told the Daily Mail the injured flight attendant ‘suffered non-life threatening injuries and was transported to hospital as a precautionary measure.’
Pictures taken in the aftermath of the collision show significant damage on the nose of one of the planes.
Crew members and passengers were seen standing on the tarmac with police.
‘Passengers were deplaned on the taxiway and transferred via buses back to Terminal C,’ the airport spokesman said.
‘Passengers on the departing planes will be rebooked to another flight.’
The airport was able to operate normally after the minor crash.
