The Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport handles 40 million flights a year. (Photo : Getty Images)
Two airbuses of China Eastern Airlines almost collided on the runway of the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport last Tuesday. The Civil Aviation Administration of China investigated the incident.
According to the civil authorities, one plane was taxing while the other plane was taking off. One captain was given a clear for takeoff signal when he noticed another aircraft that was about to land.
The report stated that the captain decided to continue with the takeoff and his plane flew above the taxing aircraft. No one was reported injured in the incident but the number of passengers on both flights is still unknown.
An unnamed official of the aviation administration claimed that both planes said that there was enough distance between them. If the first plane had remained on the runway, they would not have collided.
However, the initial findings of the investigation suggest that there was an error from the air traffic control.
The civil authority also found out that the airline crew of the landing A330 turned off their radio upon landing and cut communication with the control tower. This was a clear violation of aircraft regulations.
An aviation expert, Qi Qi, said the incident could have been the result of a lack of communication between controllers.
He Chao, the pilot of the landing A330, said that he was three seconds to colliding from the plane which was taking off. He made a last minute decision to lift the plane higher to avoid crashing.
He was also told by airport officials to not report the incident.
There was news that the airport tower crew was fired but was not confirmed by the civil authority. Results of the investigation will be released this week.
Qi added that the incident might have happened because the runway is too busy. The Shanghai airport handles 40 million flights a year.
