Four pilots of Vietnam Airlines, two from each flight crew were suspended on Friday after two jets of the airline collided on the ground at Hanoi Noi Bai International Airport. The incident took place on Friday at 2 pm when a Vietnam Airlines Boeing aircraft was taxiing for takeoff to Ho Chi Minh City.
As the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (VN-A863) moved through the intersection of taxiways S3 and S, it clipped the tail of another stationary Vietnam Airlines Airbus A321 (VN-A338), which was waiting for its departure to Dien Bien, said the Northern Airports Authority, reported local newspaper, VNExpress.
The collision took place at the intersection under clear weather conditions. Both aircraft suffered visible damage as the Boeing’s right wingtip struck the Airbus’s vertical stabiliser, scattering the debris on the tarmac.
A total of 386 passengers were aboard both flights and there were no reports of any injury or casualty. They were returned to Terminal T1 of the airport and Vietnam Airlines arranged alternate flights for the passengers while grounding both the damaged jets for technical inspection.
On Thursday, June 27, 2025, two #VietnamAirlines aircraft were involved in a ground collision at #Hanoi Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) in #Vietnam.
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— FlightMode (@FlightModeblog) June 28, 2025
An independent team was also constituted by the airline to probe the cause of the collision alongside the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV). The collision has been classified under level B by the CAAV, which is the second highest on the five-tier aviation safety scale, according to the report. The rating indicates a severe safety breach that forced temporary runway or taxiway closures.
Human Error Suspected
Preliminary investigation points towards human error as the probable cause behind the mishap, suggesting that the Airbus A321 was not parked at its designated holding point on taxiway S3 at the time of the collision.
In a media statement, Vietnam Airlines said it has suspended the four pilots, two each from both flight crew from Friday afternoon pending the results of an internal investigation.
While the airline attempted to minimise disruption but grounding of the two key aircraft on the busy Hanoi–Ho Chi Minh City route caused ripple effects across its domestic network.
