Two Chinese aircraft - an Air China passenger plane and a SF Airlines cargo plane - nearly collided at an altitude of only about 100m apart, when they flew almost in front of each other over Russian airspace on July 6.
According to data from Flightradar24, the incident occurred when Air China flight CA967 was traveling from Shanghai (China) to Milan (Italy) when it suddenly increased its altitude from 10,400m to 10,970m without direction from the Air Traffic Control (ATC). Meanwhile, SF Airlines flight CSS128, a Boeing 767 carrying goods from Budapest (Hungary) to the North China Sea, is stabilizing at 10,670m.
The sudden change in altitude caused the two aircraft to crash towards each other at a distance of only 90-120m, much lower than the international safety standard of 300m.
The exchange between the pilots and the Russian controller is said to have gone viral on Chinese social media over the weekend, showing that the TCAS collision warning system on both aircraft had been activated, forcing the pilots to quickly change direction to avoid the accident.
In the recording, when asked if he climbed the ordered altitude, the Air China pilot replied briefly: "No. Thank you".
Another male voice, believed to be the SF Airlines pilot, was upset: I see your plane climbing... that height is not suitable at all.
Sources say the Air China pilot may have mistakenly listened to an order for another plane. At the time, the Russian controller was coordinating four flights at the same time, including one from Air China and one from Hainan Airlines.
A private Chinese conversation between the two pilots later revealed a lack of clarity from the controller, when the Air China pilot blamed "her words that caused everyone chaos".
Although the incident did not lead to a collision, many experts warned that if there was only a few seconds of delay in the reaction, the consequences would have been an international aviation disaster.
Currently, Air China, SF Airlines and the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC) have not made an official comment, and it is unclear which side will be ultimately responsible for the nearly fatal situation.
