A RYANAIR flight bound for Scotland was involved in a dramatic near-miss with another passenger plane in the skies above Madrid.
Ryanair flight FR-656 from Malaga to Glasgow Prestwick was under Spanish ATC control when it experienced a 'momentary loss of separation' while crossing Madrid and 'came into conflict' with four other aircraft.
Loss of separation between aircraft occurs whenever specified separation minima are breached and may ultimately result in a mid-air collision.
The Aviation Herald described Saturday's incident as a "very complex traffic scenario" the led to a "series of compromised separations".
A Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) Resolution Advisory was triggered amid the risk of a mid-air collision between the aircraft.
The four other passenger planes involved were a Ryanair flight from Rabat (Morocco) to London Stansted, a Nouvelair flight from Porto to Djerba (Tunisia), a British Airways flight from Malaga to London Heathrow and a Vueling flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Sevilla.
After the recovery of a compromised first seperation between the Nouvelair flight and the London Stansted flight, the Nouvelair flight came into conflict with the Glasgow Prestwick flight.
Despite the Nouvelair flight being instructed to turn 90 degrees right and the Glasgow Prestwick flight being instructed to turn 40 degrees to the right, the conflict was not resolved, and saw the Glasgow Prestwick flight come into further conflict with the Vueling flight.
The Aviation Herald reports that the Glasgow Prestwick flight then passed underneath the Nouvelair flight with just '400 feet vertical separation and about 5nm horizontal separation' while travelling at an altitude of 37,000 feet.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) states that aircraft are typically required to maintain a vertical separation of at least 2,000 vertical feet when travelling above 29,000 feet.
Thankfully, all five aircraft involved were able to continue on to their destinations and land without further incidents.
A Ryanair spokesperson said: “This flight from Malaga to Glasgow Prestwick (3 Sept) was under Spanish ATC control when it experienced a momentary loss of separation while crossing Madrid.
"Crew acted fully in accordance with procedure and this flight continued safely to Glasgow Prestwick Airport, landing normally at 23.30pm. The safety of our passengers and crew are Ryanair’s no.1 priority.”
