World / Sri Lanka and Britain Flights could have collided in mid air over Turkey major accident avoided

A major plane crash was averted on Monday when two planes almost came very close to each other in the air. Sri Lankan Airlines gave information about this incident on Wednesday. It said that two of its pilots averted the accident by displaying an act of bravery. The airline also praised its pilots for taking off from London to Colombo and making the plane land safely.

According to reports, a Sri Lankan Airlines plane was passing over Turkey when it avoided coming very close to a British Airways plane. The pilots averted a possible collision through alertness of the pilots and state-of-the-art communication and monitoring systems on board the aircraft.

"Sri Lankan Airlines appreciates the timely action of pilots operating UL 504, which ensured the safety of all passengers, crew and equipment aboard UL 504," the airline said in a statement. The clarification was issued after media reports claimed that UL 504 flying from London to Colombo averted a major potential aerial collision in Turkish airspace.

Reports said the plane carrying 275 passengers had entered Turkish airspace on its way from Heathrow to Colombo. The Sri Lankan plane was told to rise to 35,000 feet above the 33,000 feet they were flying at. At the same time, a Sri Lankan plane tracked down a British Airways plane with more than 250 people on board, which was flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet, only 15 miles from them. Sri Lankan Airlines reported this to air traffic control in Ankara.

But Ankara air traffic control twice mistakenly said that there is nothing like this and the route is clear. Despite this, however, the Sri Lankan pilots refused to climb upwards. Minutes later, air traffic responded immediately, reporting the Sri Lankan plane not to climb up as a British Airways flight to Dubai was already flying above 35,000 feet. The Daily Mirror newspaper reported that if the UL captain had climbed to the stated altitude, the UL flight would have suffered a collision with a British Airways flight, as it was flying at a faster speed than the UL flight.

After landing at Bandaranaike International Airport here, the passengers along with the crew got off the plane safely and an incident report was lodged, it said.