Source: The Mainichi Daily News Author: 03/21/2009
Subject Concerned: Government Aircrew Airlines Airport
An All Nippon Airways (ANA) plane interrupted another plane's landing at Osaka's Itami Airport on March 20.
The ANA plane, carrying 407 passengers and crew members, taxied onto a runway without permission while waiting to take-off.
Meanwhile, a JAL Express plane from Sendai with 167 people on board was preparing to land on the same runway, according to Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
An air traffic controller instructed the JAL Express flight to continue its approach at around 9:20 a.m., after telling the ANA plane to wait before the runway.
The ANA plane apparently ignored orders, however, and entered the runway a minute later. The JAL Express aircraft was forced to land after a 13 minute delay.
No one was injured, and neither plane damaged in the incident. However, the ministry is taking the incident seriously, and has sent three inspectors to the airport.