KARACHI – Two Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) planes nearly escaped a mid-air collision while flying at the same altitude in Iranian airspace.
A PIA flight PK-211, a Boeing 777 from Islamabad to Dubai, and another PK-268, Airbus A320 from Doha to Peshawar, witnessed an extraordinary situation near the border of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and it could have led to a major accident due to alleged negligence of the Iranian air traffic control, Dawn News reported.
The Iranian ATC reportedly cleared the altitude for two Pakistani carriers to fly at the same time.
The Boeing 777 was flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet while Airbus A320 was at 36,000 feet on the same route when they came dangerously close to each other.
At that time, Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), a system installed in planes to avoid such collisions, issued an alert and a plane was directed to dive while the other went up further.
A PIA spokesperson told the publication that the national carrier is sending a letter to the Iranian ATC to probe the matter.
