Planes Nearly Collide at Hong Kong Airport

H O N G   K O N G, Aug. 11 -- Two planes with almost 300people on board came within 500 feet of each othershortly after takeoff from Hong Kong, airline officials said.

Two air traffic controllers have been suspended pending aninquiry into the incident on Aug. 8 involving a DragonairAirbus A321 flying to Beijing and a China Southern AirlinesBoeing 757 on a flight to Guangzhou.

“Both pilots had the other aircraft in sight,” said theHong Kong Civil Aviation Department referring to the incidentwhich occurred at 10,000 feet.

“There was a loss of separation between two departingaircraft.”

Catastrophe Averted

At their closest, the vertical distance between the twoaircaft was 500 feet instead of the standard 1,000 feet, thedepartment said.

Hong Kong-based Dragonair confirmed that the TrafficCollision Avoidance System on the Airbus was activated.

“The captain responded by taking appropriate action in linewith operational procedure and the A321 aircraft continued itsjourney to Beijing without incident,” the Hong Kong-basedcarrier said.

Concerns about safety at Hong Kong’s two-year-old airportat Chek Lap Kok off Lantau island were raised in May when agovernment report said there were more incidents than at theold airport at Kai Tak.

Last August a China Airlines MD-11 crashed whilelanding at Chek Lap Kok during a typhoon, killing three people.