The Tokyo Fire Department said the fire may have been caused by a collision between the plane and a Japan Coast Guard (JAL) aircraft. The Japan Coast Guard said it was unclear what happened to the five crew members on board.
JAL said all passengers and crew escaped the Japan Airlines plane as it caught fire without life-threatening injuries. Eight of the 367 passengers were children.
A Japan Airlines plane catches fire on the runway at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: Kyodo
The coast guard said the fire may have been caused by a collision between a Japan Airlines plane and a Japan Coast Guard plane stationed at the airport. Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said it was investigating the incident.
Local television footage showed a large fire erupting from the side of the Japan Airlines plane as it taxied down the runway. The area around the wing then caught fire.
Video footage later showed fire crews working to extinguish the fire on the Airbus A350. NHK television reported that the JAL flight 516 was flying from Shin Chitose Airport in Japan to Haneda.
Haneda is one of the busiest airports in Japan and is packed with travelers during the New Year holiday. It is not known if the incident is related to the ongoing earthquake in Japan.
Huy Hoang (according to Kyodo, NHK, AP)
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