A Silk Way West Airlines Boeing 777-F (VP-BMU) and an MNG Airlines Airbus A330 (TC-MCN) came dangerously close to each other over Hong Kong International Airport during takeoff.
How Did the Incident Happen? ❓
Both aircraft were cleared by air traffic control (ATC) to take off from runways 07C and 07R, respectively, following standard departure procedures. After takeoff, ATC instructed Silk Way West Airlines to climb to 5,000 feet, while MNG Airlines was directed to 3,000 feet. However, unexpected variations in their climb rates prevented the planned vertical separation from being maintained.
Approximately 7 nautical miles northeast of Hong Kong Airport, the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) on the Silk Way West Airlines Boeing 777 was activated, alerting the crew. The pilots responded by descending to 2,500 feet, effectively avoiding a potential mid-air collision.
Following the incident, both aircraft continued their flights as planned without further issues.
