Provided/Houston Airport System
Pictured is the inside of Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.
Two commercial jets narrowly avoided a collision at Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport earlier this month, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The FAA says air traffic controllers instructed the pilots of a Volaris jet, bound for El Salvador, to make a left turn shortly after departing the airport at about 3 p.m. Dec. 18. Instead, the flight crew turned right toward a United Express plane that had just taken off from a parallel runway on its way to Jackson, Mississippi.
Both planes continued on to their destinations and landed on time, according to FlightAware.
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The FAA says it is investigating the near crash.
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The United Express flight, operated by CommuteAir, contained 41 passengers and three crew members, according to CommuteAir. It was not immediately clear how many passengers were on the Volaris jet, which can reportedly carry up to nearly 200 passengers.
Volaris did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.
United Airlines deferred comment to CommuteAir, which operates regional United Express flights. Jason Kada, a spokesperson for CommuteAir, said in a statement to Houston Public Media that “based on our initial assessment, our crew followed all applicable ATC instructions.”
Officials with Bush Intercontinental Airport deferred questions about the incident to the FAA, noting that the agency oversees air traffic control operations and aviation safety.