Spain's Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation Commission is conducting the investigation into the collision between two planes at Palma Son Sant Joan Airport on Tuesday.
The collision occurred around 9am and involved a Condor and an Air Europa plane. The latter suffered damage - breakage of the Winglet on the left wing. Both planes remain on the ground, subject to examination, which creates scheduling issues for the two airlines and represents financial loss.
A retired pilot suggests that this type of collision occurs more frequently than people might imagine, adding: "If you follow the lines on the track, there should be no obstacles and these things shouldn't happen." "A plane on the ground represents a high loss, because they must now be thoroughly assessed and a safety examination must be carried out before they can fly again." The low speeds of the planes prevented greater damage.
Tomás Cano, one of the most authoritative figures on aviation matters in Mallorca - he is a former Air Europa director, for example - stresses the importance of the investigation. "Planes can't just depart after a strike like that. You don't know what could be affected. They therefore require a thorough revision."
He accepts that "without information, it's difficult to know for sure the reasons that led to this crash". But he backs up what the retired pilot says: "It happens in many places around the world. I've seen it in the US, the Caribbean, other European cities, Asia ... ."
Technicians, he explains, will assess precisely structural damage that may have been caused, which could be internal to the planes. Although he doesn't suggest that this was the cause, he points out that "companies' pressure to get flights off the ground, generates extra strain and doesn't help".