Every second counted: Budapest-bound plane narrowly avoids mid-air collision at 10,000 metres
According to media reports, either Russian air traffic control issued a confusing instruction to a Chinese aircraft flying at over 10,000 meters, or the pilot misinterpreted a command. Either way, a catastrophic collision over Siberia was narrowly avoided between the Shanghai-bound plane and another flight headed to Budapest.
Seconds to collision in Russian airspace
The incident involved an SF Airlines cargo plane that had departed from Budapest en route to Ezhou, China, and an Air China passenger jet travelling from Shanghai to Milan. A disaster was averted thanks to both luck and the onboard Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), which triggered evasive action by the Air China pilot.
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Both flights were on the same route on 6 July, but flying at different altitudes. The situation escalated unexpectedly when the passenger aircraft climbed from 10,400 meters to 11,000 meters—despite reportedly receiving no such instruction from Russian air traffic controllers, according to The Independent. As a result of the manoeuvre, the two planes came within 90 to 120 meters of each other, far less than the 300-meter safe vertical separation required by protocol. The TCAS system immediately activated, prompting evasive action from both cockpits to avoid a mid-air collision.
Controller may have been handling multiple flights
Reports suggest the Russian controller may have been directing four planes simultaneously, possibly leading to a confusing or incorrect instruction being given—or misunderstood—by the Air China pilot. Another theory is that the pilot received a command intended for a different plane. The incident was tracked and recorded on Flightradar, with an image shared of the close encounter:
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The near-collision occurred near Tuva, a mountainous and hilly region of Siberia close to the Mongolian border.
Both Air China and SF Airlines are Chinese carriers. As of now, neither airline has issued a statement on the incident.
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