Ethiopian Airlines Flight in Near Collision, Flightradar 24 Says

ADDIS ABABA (Capital Markets in Africa) – An Ethiopian Airlines Group flight almost had a mid-air collision with a Neos SpA plane in Kenyan airspace last week, according to tracking website Flightradar 24.

ET858 “narrowly avoided” NO252 at 37,000 feet, the flight tracker said on Twitter. NO252 is the flight between Zanzibar in Tanzania, Kenya’s resort city of Mombasa and Verona, while ET858 is Ethiopian Airline’s route from Johannesburg, South Africa, to Addis Ababa, the Horn of African nation’s capital.

“Traffic collision avoidance system alerted ET858 to climb to avoid a collision,” it said, without giving a date.

Calls to Somma Lombardo, Italy-based Neos’ offices were unanswered. Ethiopian Airlines’ corporate communications manager, Aniley Eshetu, didn’t immediately respond to an email and text message seeking comment.

The Kenyan Air Traffic Controllers Association issued a statement last week detailing safety concerns after Ethiopian air-traffic controllers went on strike and were replaced by retired staff without up-to-date qualifications. The Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority dismissed the allegations as “outright lies” and said it had arranged for volunteer air-traffic controllers, instructors and controllers from elsewhere in Africa to staff airspace controls.

The air-traffic controllers have since returned to work, Addis Ababa-based Fana Broadcasting Corp. reported Wednesday.

Source: Bloomberg Business News