ISLAMABAD, April 14: Two Boeing 777 aircraft of the PIA were damaged in the early hours of Saturday after a wing of one of them clipped the other’s tail before its departure for Islamabad from Karachi airport.

The incident, which is being probed by the Safety Investigation Board, led to an exchange of allegations between the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), with each trying to hold the other responsible.

The two aircraft were among the few PIA aircraft allowed to fly to European Union destinations.

Both the aircraft, AP-BHW and AP-BHV, were Boeing 777-300-ERs.

The wingtip of an aircraft being towed clipped the tail cone of a parked plane.

The aircraft whose wingtip was damaged was repaired and made operational a few hours later. However, the other aircraft was awaiting spares.

Sources in PIA claimed that the incident took place on the taxi-way, while the CAA said it occurred in the maintenance area.

PIA engineers, whom the CAA is holding responsible, say the incident occurred due to wrong markings by the aviation regulator.

They also disclosed that on Thursday night a major disaster was averted in similar circumstances when PK-370 was being pushed by a tug master.

They say the aircraft could have collided with a foreign airliner had it not been pulled back by the tug master. Passengers were sitting in both the aircraft.