Major Plane Crash Averted: Due to the wisdom of the pilots in Turkey, a major plane accident was saved. Praised its pilots for saving a Sri Lankan Airlines flight from being a victim of an accident. Officials related to the whole incident said that the Sri Lanka Airlines flight took off from London to Colombo on Wednesday. It narrowly escaped collision with a
British Airways flight in Turkish airspace.
Sri Lankan pilots commended
Sri Lanka Airlines praised its pilots for handling the flight safely. The alertness of the pilots and the state-of-the-art communication and monitoring system in the aircraft ensured a safe track for UL 504 on June 13, officials said. In addition, Sri Lankan Airlines appreciates the timely action taken by pilots operating UL 504, which ensured the safety of all passengers, crew members and equipment aboard UL 504, the airline said in a statement.
Planes collided at 35,000 feet
The clarification was issued after media reports claimed that UL 504, flying from London to Colombo, avoided its largest possible mid-air collision in Turkish airspace. Reports said the flight carrying 275 passengers had entered Turkish airspace en route from Heathrow to Colombo. The Sri Lankan plane was told to take the flight to 35,000 feet above the 33,000 feet they were flying at.
Accident averted due to pilots' wisdom
At the same time, a Sri Lankan flight discovered a
British Airways flight that was only 15 miles from them in the sky at an altitude of 35,000 feet. After which Sri Lankan pilots informed air traffic control in Ankara. More than 250 people were on board the
British Airways flight. Sri Lankan pilots did not take the flight to an altitude of 35,000 feet, despite information provided by Ankara air traffic control. A few minutes later, air traffic responded immediately and asked Sri Lankan pilots to stop the flight at 35,000 feet. Because a
British Airways flight to
Dubai was already in the air at 35,000 feet.
Sri Lankan pilot being praised
The Daily Mirror reported that if the captain of the UL flight had taken the flight to an altitude of 35000, it would have collided with a
British Airways flight. The
British Airways flight was faster than the UL flight. After the plane landed safely, the captain of the Sri Lankan flight lodged a report at the airport about the incident.