Sources from Tokyo stated that a Japan Airlines plane from New Delhi skidded off a snow-bound runway at Narita Airport on Friday, officials told AFP, briefly closing part of Tokyo’s main hub. As per report spokespeople from the airport and the carrier said the 201 passengers and crew had all been escorted off the Boeing 787 jet with no serious injuries.
Meanwhile Narita spokesman Kazuhiko Morio told AFP the accident forced the airport to close one of its two runways for an hour from 7 am (2200 GMT Thursday). Furthermore Morio added tthe runway was then closed again as the plane was moved out of a safety zone. Reportedly the cause of the accident was not immediately clear but public broadcaster NHK said one of the plane’s tyres may have slipped on a rare patch of snow on the runway.
Moreover the country’s weather agency has forecasted light snow in part of the Kanto region in eastern Japan, including the area around Narita. Hence television footage showed some snow lingering on the ground at the airport although runways and taxiways were clear and judging by the footage, the plane seemed to have sustained no damage in the accident.
