New Delhi: A major tragedy was averted after two IndiGo aircraft came face-to-face over Bengaluru airspace, seconds away from a mid-air collision.
The incident occurred on Tuesday when 6E 779 (from Coimbatore to Hyderabad) and 6E 6505 (from Bengaluru to Kochi) were just 200 feet away from each other in the air.
An IndiGo spokesperson confirmed the incident. The Hyderabad-bound plane had 162 passengers while the other aircraft was carrying 166 passengers.
According to an airline official, the Air Traffic Control (ATC) had asked the flight from Coimbatore to climb 36,000 feet, while the flight from Bengaluru was directed to climb to 28,000 feet.
The planes came face-to-face when 6E 779 was at 27,300 feet and 6E 6505 was at 27,500 feet, leaving the two aircraft at hardly four miles from each other and vertically separating them at just 200 feet.
IndiGo said in a statement that the pilots of both the flights were immediately alerted by the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), following which the crash was averted.
Sources told TOI that Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) has started an investigation into the incident.
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