Near Collision at Marseille Airport: Air Algérie and Gestair Aircraft Avoid Tragedy
On September 11, a serious incident was narrowly avoided at Marseille Provence Airport when an Air Algérie Boeing 737 almost collided with a Boeing 757 from the Spanish airline Gestair. According to a report from the Bureau of Investigation and Analysis (BEA), the incident highlights significant coordination errors within the airport's control tower.
The Air Algérie flight, which was operating from Chlef, Algeria to Marseille, had received clearance to land on runway 31R. However, unbeknownst to the pilots, the runway was already occupied by the Gestair cargo plane, which had been authorized for takeoff. Fortunately, a vigilant air traffic controller noticed the impending danger and instructed the Air Algérie pilot to abort the landing maneuver, allowing the aircraft to safely regain altitude.
The Air Algérie Boeing 737 successfully landed approximately twenty minutes later on the same runway, around 9 p.m., without any reported injuries or accidents. Despite the successful outcome, the BEA deemed the incident 'serious' and has initiated an ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the event. Passengers aboard the Air Algérie flight were reportedly unaware of the critical situation they had narrowly escaped, as confirmed by Observalgérie.
