Click to play videoNew Delhi: Air India flight IC-206 from Dibrugarh to Kolkata missed colliding with an Indian Air Force plane on Tuesday while flying over Assam airspace.
The Air India aircraft, an A320, dropped height seeing the IAF transport aircraft IL76 Gajraj flying from Jorhat to Dibrugarh.
The Civil Aviation Department said the IAF plane, which had permission to fly at 19,000 feet, was not flying at the permitted height.
The IAF plane came down to 17,000 feet, 2,000 less than the permitted height which forced the Air India plane, with 43 passengers on board, flying at 18,000 feet to come down to avoid a collision.
The incident happened over Jorhat airspace in Assam at 1155 hrs IST, an Air India spokesman said.
The Air India plane later landed safely at Kolkat at 1320 hrs IST, the spokesman said.
A statement released by Air India said that the aircraft was given clearance to climb to 18000 feet but its pilot after finding the IAF aircraft in the vicinity alerted Dibrugarh air traffic control and was asked to take evasive action to either go up to 19,000 feet or descend.
The pilot then descended his aircraft to a height of 16,000 feet, the spokesman said.
The near miss was averted at 17600 feet due to Air India pilot’s evasive manoeuvre, the statement said. The spokesman said the Airbus was given clearance to climb to 18,000 feet
Aircraft should maintain a vertical separation of 1,000 feet.
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