Ethiopia

Somalia probes near-collision between Ethiopian Airlines, Qatar Airways planes

A file photo of an Ethiopian Airlines plane. (Photo: X/ Ethiopian Airlines)

By Foreign Reporter | Monday, February 26, 2024

The incident occurred when Somalia Air Traffic Control mistakenly instructed one aircraft to climb to 40,000 feet.

The Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) is investigating a near-collision between Ethiopian Airlines and Qatar Airways planes over the Gulf of Aden near Somalia.

The incident occurred on February 24, 2024, when Somalia Air Traffic Control mistakenly instructed one aircraft to climb to 40,000 feet.

Keep reading

According to a report from the Somaliland Civil Aviation and Airports Authority, the Qatar Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, registration A7-BCN, was cruising at 38,000 feet.

The pilots of the Qatar Airways flight QR1383, from Doha to Entebbe, received instructions from Air Traffic Controllers to climb to 40,000 feet while in the Mogadishu Flight Information Region (FIR).

The Qatar Airways plane was on a collision course with an Ethiopian Airlines A350-900 (Flight ET602) from Addis Ababa to Dubai.

The Traffic Avoidance Collision System (TCAS) issued an urgent warning of the presence of the other plane.

According to Airlive, Qatar Airways did not follow the ATC instructions and avoided a possible disaster with the Ethiopian Airlines aircraft.