Passengers at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport were left in shock after a Vietnam Airlines plane sliced the tail of another aircraft while taxiing toward the runway. The incident occurred when a Boeing 787 struck the stationary tail of an Airbus A321 with its right wingtip, just moments before both flights were scheduled to depart.
The dramatic collision, captured from a passenger’s window, jolted the Airbus and scattered debris onto the tarmac, prompting immediate action from aviation authorities. Both aircraft were grounded, and four pilots have been suspended pending an investigation.
The Incident That Stopped Two Flights
The collision happened on a Friday at one of Vietnam’s busiest airports—Noi Bai International Airport. The Boeing 787, scheduled to fly from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, was taxiing to the runway when its right wingtip came into contact with the stationary Airbus A321, which was waiting to depart for Dien Bien. In what appeared to be a moment of miscalculation or miscommunication, the tip of the Boeing’s wing cleanly slashed through the tail of the Airbus, sending parts of the tail structure falling onto the tarmac.
Video footage, apparently taken from a passenger’s window, captured the jarring moment when the aircraft’s wingtip punctured the rear of the other plane. The impact visibly jolted the Airbus and left onlookers stunned. The noise of the impact and the debris falling to the ground further intensified the sense of alarm. Immediate action was taken by airport authorities to halt both flights and ground the damaged aircraft for safety inspections.
برخورد بال Boeing 787 با دم Airbus A321 از Vietnam Airlines توی تاکسیوی — خیلی تمیز و دقیق، انگار بال 787 مثل کارد کرهبری دم هواپیمای روبرو رو قاچ زد 😅✈ pic.twitter.com/kM3nyWA8Lz
— Y (@YousefJafary) June 28, 2025
The damage to both the wingtip of the Boeing 787 and the tail of the Airbus A321 was significant enough to take both planes out of service. Vietnam Airlines promptly arranged replacement flights for the 380 passengers who were affected across the two aircraft. Thankfully, no injuries were reported, but the situation left many passengers rattled and questioning how such an incident could occur on a taxiway in broad daylight.
Accountability in the Cockpit: Suspension of Four Pilots
In response to the incident, Vietnam Airlines suspended all four pilots—two from each of the flights involved. This step, while precautionary, signals the airline’s seriousness in addressing any lapses that may have contributed to the near-catastrophic event. According to official statements, the airline has launched a joint investigation with the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) to determine the root cause of the mishap.
Suspending the pilots allows for a thorough and impartial inquiry, ensuring that there is no interference with the fact-finding process. It also helps preserve the integrity of any eventual findings. Aviation incidents such as this are rare, particularly during taxiing—a phase of flight generally considered one of the safer parts of air travel.
Therefore, aviation professionals and the public alike are eager to understand whether the cause was human error, procedural failure, miscommunication with air traffic control, or a combination of factors. This is not the first time pilot error or miscommunication has resulted in aircraft collisions during taxiing.
While modern aircraft are equipped with increasingly sophisticated avionics and safety systems, the margin for error remains perilously narrow in congested airports. If pilots deviate even slightly from ground control instructions or fail to maintain visual awareness, the consequences can be serious—even if the planes are moving at low speeds.
Vietnam Airlines’ quick decision to organize an independent investigative team reflects growing awareness within the aviation industry that transparency and accountability are paramount when dealing with public safety. The findings of the investigation will likely result in revised procedures or additional training to prevent future incidents.
A Pattern of Global Airport Close Calls
The incident in Hanoi is not an isolated one. In fact, it is part of a worrying trend of airport ground collisions and near misses in major airports across the globe. Earlier this year, a similar scenario unfolded at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., where an American Airlines aircraft’s wingtip hit another plane from the same airline. Both aircraft sustained damage and were subsequently grounded for inspection. Notably, three U.S. Congress members were onboard one of the flights, drawing national attention to the lapse in safety.
Even more alarming was a runway near-miss in May at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, where a Republic Airways jet was forced to abort its takeoff at the last minute. A United Airlines plane had been inadvertently cleared to taxi across the active runway.
The incident revealed a serious lapse in communication between two air traffic controllers who were operating on separate radio frequencies. One controller gave Republic Airways clearance to take off, assuming the United plane had already cleared the runway. The near disaster was narrowly averted, but the FAA and other regulatory bodies took notice.
The common thread among these events is that they occurred on the ground—an area often overlooked in the broader discussion of aviation safety. Runway incursions, taxiway miscommunication, and ground collisions have become increasing concerns as air traffic returns to pre-pandemic levels and airports become busier. More aircraft movements on the tarmac create more opportunities for errors, particularly when crew members are fatigued or when ground systems become overwhelmed.
In all of these incidents, a combination of human oversight, communication gaps, and perhaps even complacency in procedures has been identified. While aviation remains one of the safest modes of transportation, the risks on the ground should not be underestimated. The Hanoi incident is a stark reminder that every phase of flight—from gate to gate—demands vigilant safety protocols and real-time coordination.
The collision between the Boeing 787 and Airbus A321 at Noi Bai International Airport has set off alarm bells in the aviation industry, particularly in Southeast Asia. The fact that the plane sliced the tail of another aircraft while simply taxiing to the runway is both extraordinary and alarming. Although the quick response of Vietnam Airlines and airport authorities prevented any injury or further escalation, the implications of such a lapse are profound.
Suspending the four pilots involved was a necessary step in ensuring a transparent investigation and preventing potential conflicts of interest. The incident also calls into question whether additional training, revised ground protocols, or even upgrades to airport infrastructure may be needed to reduce the chances of similar incidents happening in the future.
Globally, airports and airlines need to reassess how communication on the ground is managed—not just between pilots and air traffic control, but also among controllers themselves, especially in high-traffic zones. As this and other recent events have shown, ground operations can be just as risky as mid-air flight when procedures are not tightly controlled.
Passengers may feel reassured by the fact that no injuries occurred and that swift action was taken, but many will continue to wonder how such a basic failure of coordination could happen at a major international airport. In an age where aviation technology has reached unprecedented levels of sophistication, the human element remains the most unpredictable—and often the most dangerous—variable.
As investigations continue in Vietnam, the world will be watching closely, hoping for lessons that will not only bring accountability but will help build safer skies—and safer tarmacs—for everyone.