Japan Airlines Faces Major Delays After JFK Ground Collision

Significant delays on Japan Airlines flights.

As a reminder, an unusual ground accident occurred on Sunday night at JFK Airport in New York involving a Japan Airlines plane and a chartered Hi Fly plane operated for Arkia.

There were no passengers on the planes, and no injuries were reported. Arkia stated that a Japan Airlines plane collided with the Airbus A330 they leased during a ground towing maneuver.

Now, Japan Airlines is reporting flight delays following the accident and claims that Arkia's plane struck its aircraft. The company states: "On December 14, 2025, at approximately 00:40 Eastern Time (around 2:40 p.m. Japan Time), at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, while parked at its designated location for scheduled maintenance, one of our Airbus A350-1000 aircraft (registration JA10WJ) was impacted by the right wing of another airline’s aircraft while it was being towed. "

Japan Airlines Airbus A350. Photo: JAPAN AIRLINES

The company also said that following the accident, the aircraft required repairs and was temporarily taken out of service. As a result, despite efforts to minimize schedule disruption, Japan Airlines was forced to implement operational adjustments, including replacing aircraft on several routes. These measures led to significant delays and affected at least 3,100 passengers who were affected by the disruptions to the flight schedule.

Japan Airlines flights affected by the incident. Photo: Japan Airlines

In total, 16 international flights scheduled to depart by December 23 were significantly affected, mainly on major routes between Tokyo and London, New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Singapore, with delays in some cases reaching up to 16 hours.

The company emphasized that there may be additional impacts even after December 23, 2025.

Aerial photo of JFK Airport, New York. Photo: Nate Hovee / Shutterstock