The empty Virgin Atlantic 787 was being towed from the stand at terminal 3 when it clipped the wingtip of a British Airways Airbus A350.

A video shows minor damage to the planes and emergency services and ground crew on the runway.

No customers were on board the plane that was being towed, a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said.

The plane has been taken out of service while engineering teams perform maintenance checks, they said.

"We've commenced a full and thorough investigation.

"The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority."

No passengers were injured, a Heathrow spokesperson said.

"We do not anticipate there to be any ongoing impact to airport operations," they added.

The tow movement was provided by a ground handling company under contract by Virgin Atlantic.

A spokesperson from British Airways said its plane was stationery when the collision happened.

"Our aircraft is being assessed by our engineering teams and we have provided an alternative aircraft to limit the impact on our customers," they said.