A British Airways Boeing 747 destroyed part of a building along with the travel plans of its 189 passengers on Sunday when the aircraft’s right wing sliced the top off much of the brick structure next to a taxiway at Tambo Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa. The airline has confirmed the incident but is not shedding any light on how a significant section of the wing plowed through the structure just above the second-floor level. “A British Airways Boeing 747 was damaged while taxiing at Johannesburg airport,” the airline said in a statement. “Customers disembarked safely and were looked after by our staff. We have launched a full investigation into the incident and are giving our assistance to the independent South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) with the matter.”
There weren’t any injuries on the aircraft but it appears from photos of the damage to the building that anyone occupying the second floor could have been in danger. There were, however, no reports of injuries. According to eTurboNews, at least one passenger wasn’t happy about the evacuation plan for the aircraft. “Not impressed that first class passengers get off before premium economy during an emergency, the site quoted Harriet Tolputt, the head of media for Oxfam, as tweeting. All the passengers eventually went to hotels to wait for another aircraft to pick them up.
