Passengers delayed by the collision between two aircraft on the runway at Heathrow were due to depart this afternoon after spending the night at hotels.
The British Airways flight to Singapore and SriLankan Airlines flight to Male and Colombo were expected to leave by 6pm.
Both carriers decried media reports describing the incident as a major crash. A BA spokesman said: “It was a minor collision. A report an engine had fallen off simply was not true.”
In fact, the wing tips of the aircraft touched as they taxied to a holding area ready for take-off at about 10pm. BA maintained this occurred while its aircraft was stationary, but a SriLankan spokesman said he believed both aircraft were moving.
The pilots would have been responding to air traffic control instructions at the time.
Passengers disembarked and spent the night in hotels while safety checks were carried out.
Some newspapers criticised airport operator BAA over the incident, but the BA spokesman said: “This sort of thing happens, but it is a rare occurrence at Heathrow.”
European passenger-compensation rules entitle those subject to such a delay to hotel accommodation and meals or, if they choose not to fly, to a refund. SriLankan confirmed fewer than 5% of its passengers had returned home.