Japan Airlines flight hits tail of parked plane at Seattle's airport

A Japan Airlines plane that was taxiing on the tarmac of Seattle's airport apparently struck the tail of a parked Delta aircraft earlier today, airport authorities say.

Authorities responded to the incident around 10.17am (local time) the airport said.

There were no injuries, and airport authorities were working to get the passengers off the airplane and bring them back to the terminal.

Delta spokesperson Samantha Moore Facteau said in an email that its Boeing 737 was waiting to have ice removed from its exterior when the wing tip of another aircraft reportedly made contact with its tail.

Deicing, as it's known, can occur before a flight begins to taxi to the runway, she said.

There were 142 passengers onboard Delta Flight 1921 to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and they were being transferred to a new aircraft, she said.

There were no reports of injuries for the crew or passengers.

Japan Airlines did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Airport operations were minimally impacted as the incident occurred on a taxi lane, authorities said.