Runway at Tokyo’s Haneda reopens after JAL jetliner collision

A runway at Tokyo’s Haneda airport that had been closed since a fatal collision between a Japan Airlines plane and a Japan Coast Guard aircraft reopened Monday.

The closure of Runway C, one of four runways at the country’s busiest airport, following the Jan. 2 collision led to the cancellation of over 1,200 flights, affecting more than 200,000 passengers during the New Year holiday season.

The runway was reopened after the removal of the wreckage of the passenger jet and the completion of repairs.

The collision on Tuesday evening led to the temporary closure of all four runways at Haneda airport, a key gateway for overseas travelers that is accessible to central Tokyo. The three other runways were reopened later that night.

Five of the six people aboard the coast guard Bombardier DHC8-300 aircraft were killed in the collision, while all 379 people aboard the JAL Airbus A350 escaped without life-threatening injuries.

By Mian Saeed Ahmed Khan