Air India and Nepal Airlines saved from mid air collision, probe ordered

An Air India and a Nepal Airlines aircraft averted a major collision when they came too close mid-air but the warning systems alerted the pilots and timely action by them prevented the disaster, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) said in Kathmandu on Sunday. Two employees of the air traffic controller department, who were in charge of the control room at the time of the incident, were suspended for "carelessness", a CAAN Nepal authorities have formed a three-member probe committee to investigate the matter. spokesperson Jagannath Niroula said.

The incident happened on Friday morning. A Nepal Airlines plane was heading towards Kathmandu from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, while an Air India plane was also coming to the Nepal capital from New Delhi.The Air India aircraft was descending from 19,000 ft while the Nepal Airlines aircraft was flying at an altitude of 15,000 ft at the same location, Niroula said. After it was shown on the radar that the two aircraft were in proximity, the Nepal Airlines aircraft descended to 7,000 ft, the spokesperson said.