Two Air Mauritius A350s came within distance of colliding with each other while flying over Sudanese Airspace earlier this month, when the A350s suddenly changed their trajectories after detecting a risk of collision.
The incident happened on Jan 6, when Air Mauritius flights MK015 from Paris and flight MK042 were flying at 39,000 ft when they passed 800 meters from each other.
Confirming the incident in a statement, Air Mauritius said, “On the night of January 6, 2022, the minimum spacing required between two aircraft of the company was reduced over the airspace of Khartoum (Sudan). Two planes, Airbus A350-900s, respectively operating flights MK015 from Paris and MK042 to London. The control tower (ATC) gave its agreement to the crew of flight MK042 to change altitude and it is during the climb that the incident occurred. The aircraft being equipped with TCAS, the warning and avoidance systems worked. An investigation is underway to determine the origin and causes of this situation.”
The ATC error would have cost lives if the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) didn’t trigger.
Photo: @indianspotter
