Mid-air scare for over 300 passengers, collision between two IndiGo aircraft averted over Bengaluru

BENGALURU: A major mid-air collision between two IndiGo aircraft was averted over Bengaluru airspace on July 10 when the planes came extremely close to each other. The incident took place on Tuesday when 6E 779 from Coimbatore to Hyderabad and 6E 6505 from Bengaluru to Kochi flew merely 200 feet away from each other over Bengaluru.

IndiGo Airlines said that the matter has been reported to the regulator.

"The Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS)-Resolution Advisory system was triggered on two of our aircraft operating Coimbatore-Hyderabad and Bangalore-Cochin routes respectively on July 10. Following normal procedure this has been reported to the regulator," IndiGo said in a statement.

The Hyderabad-bound plane reportedly had 162 passengers while the Kochi-bound flight had 166 passengers on board.

The vertical separation between the two aircraft was only about 200 feet and a mid-air collision was averted after the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) alarms went off. Reports say that said Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) has started an investigation into the incident that happened on July 10.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is the aviation regulator.