Egyptian, Saudi planes collide in Khartoum Airport

December 23, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Two airliners belonging to Saudi Arabian Airlines and Egypt Air were involved in a minor collision at Khartoum International Airport on Sunday, without causing any casualties.

The two aircraft were carrying Sudanese pilgrims returning from the holy sites of Saudi Arabia after the pilgrimage rituals.

The director of the airport Yusef Ibrahim said in a press conference that the accident took place when the Egyptian airliner started to take off, heading to Cairo.

Its wing crashed into the rear of the Saudi aircraft soon after the Sudanese pilgrims got down from it, he pointed out.

The accident neither caused casualties nor affected air traffic at the airport, Ibrahim added.

The Sudanese airport authorities formed a committee to investigate the accident.

(ST)