Two airlines nearly collide taking off from Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating a recent incident at Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport where two jets narrowly avoided a collision. The incident occurred when a Volaris Airlines flight heading to El Salvador made an unauthorized right turn into the path of a United Express flight bound for Jackson, Mississippi.
According to the FAA, air traffic control had instructed Volaris Flight 4321 to turn left after departing from Houston Intercontinental Airport on Dec. 18. However, the crew turned right instead, heading towards CommuteAir Flight 814, which had departed from a parallel runway. United Airlines is a partial owner of CommuteAir.
The incident took place around 3:05 p.m. local time, and the FAA is currently conducting an investigation. CommuterAir stated that based on their initial assessment, their crew followed all applicable air traffic control instructions.
Both Volaris and the airport deferred comment to the FAA when reached out by FOX Business for a statement. The Houston Intercontinental Airport is a busy hub, with an average of 500 daily arriving flights and over 20 million passenger arrivals annually.
Despite the recent increase in close calls and safety incidents in the airline industry, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has assured the public that flying is safe. He emphasized this message ahead of the Christmas holiday, a peak travel time for passengers nationwide.
Duffy stated, “We will take whatever steps are necessary to make sure the airspace is safe,” in an interview with FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo. This commitment to safety is crucial, especially during busy travel periods when thousands of passengers are navigating airports across the country.
