Kathmandu: A very major tragedy was averted when an Air India and a Nepal Airlines aircraft came mighty close to collision mid-air.
Timely action by pilots, who were alerted by warning systems, prevented the disaster, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) officials said here on Sunday.
According to CAAN spokesperson Jagannath Niroula, the three Air Traffic Control (ATC) employees who were in charge of the control room at the time of the incident have been suspended for carelessness.
Air India is yet to comment on the incident.
The mid-air scare happened on Friday when an Airbus A-320 aircraft of Nepal Airlines, flying from Kuala Lumpur to Kathmandu, came too close to a New Delhi-Kathmandu flight.
While the Air India aircraft was descending from 19,000 ft, Nepal Airlines plane was flying at an altitude of 15,000 ft at the same location, the CAAN official informed.
After the radar showed the two aircraft in close proximity, Nepal Airlines aircraft descended to 7,000 ft.
A three-member committee has been set up by Nepal to investigate the incident.
