Two International Flights Almost Collide at 35,000 Feet in Mumbai Airspace

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is currently probing a serious air proximity incident involving EL AL Israel Airlines and qatar air line or Airways that took place over the Arabian Sea in March this year. The investigation focuses on critical data concerning the aircraft and flight crews involved.

Incident Overview

• Date & Location: The close call occurred on March 24 at 35,000 feet over the Arabian Sea, specifically within the Mumbai Flight Information Region (FIR).
• Proximity Details: The two qatar Boeing 777 aircraft were reported to have come within 9.1 nautical miles of each other, which is roughly a minute apart in flight time. This distance is significantly less than the mandated regulation separation of 10 minutes for the area.

Investigation Status

The AAIB has released an initial report detailing the incident and outlining the ongoing investigation process. The final investigation report is expected to be published within a few months.

Air India Eliminates Data Silos, Gaining a Digital Edge

As part of its investigation, the AAIB is analyzing evidence collected from a visit to the Mumbai Air Traffic Services (ATS) unit of the Airport Authority of India. Additionally, documents and data from both EL AL and Qatar Airways concerning the involved aircraft and flight crews are being scrutinized.

The preliminary report highlighted that no cockpit alerts were triggered by the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) to warn pilots of a potential collision. Furthermore, there qatar airways airport hambourg 2024 were no alerts from air traffic control (ATC).

Qatar Airways to buy a 25% minority stake in Virgin Australia

The investigation is currently exploring whether this lack of alerts was due to the aircraft not being close enough to activate the TCAS or if other factors were at play. Fortunately, no damage was reported to either aircraft as a result of the incident.