India
oi-Prakash KL
An Air India flight nearly collided with a Nepal Airlines aircraft on Friday and the timely response by the pilots avoided a major tragedy.
The Air India and a Nepal Airlines aircraft came close to collision mid-air but the warning systems alerted the pilots, authorities said in Kathmandu on Sunday, according to a PTI report. While the Nepal Airlines was coming from Kuala Lumpur to Kathmandu, the Air India plane was coming to Kathmandu from New Delhi.
“Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) of Tribhuvan International Airport involved in traffic conflict incident (between Air India and Nepal Airlines on 24th March 2023) have been removed from active control position until further notice,” The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) said on Twitter.
CAAN spokesperson Jagannath Niroula said that the two employees were suspended for “carelessness”.
The Air India aircraft was descending from 19,000 ft while the Nepal Airlines aircraft was flying at an altitude of 15,000 ft at the same location, Mr Niroula said.
After it was shown on the radar that the two aircraft were in proximity, the Nepal Airlines aircraft descended to 7,000 ft, the spokesperson said.
The Civil Aviation Authority has formed a three-member probe committee to investigate the matter.
The CAAN has suspended the two officers, who were in charge of the control room at the time of the incident.
However, Air India has not responded to the incident, yet.
Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has said that details are being obtained from the Nepal authorities on the incident. “Nepal authorities do not have jurisdiction over Indian pilots,” news agency ANI quoted a DGCA official as saying.
