An investigation is underway after a near miss between a Ryanair flight and a training aircraft at Cork Airport raised safety concerns.
On July 26 last year, a Ryanair Boeing 737 was headed for Manchester. At the same time, a Cessna C-172 was conducting a training flight. Both planes were cleared for take-off by air traffic control just two minutes apart.
The planes were on intersecting runways. Luckily, the training aircraft made a sharp right turn after take-off, avoiding a collision with the Ryanair flight.
The Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) is looking into the details of this incident. A report revealed that the planes were less than 100 feet apart at one point.
The C-172 was flying from Waterford to Cork Airport. At 5:34 PM, it received clearance on Runway 25, which is perpendicular to the main runway. Meanwhile, the Ryanair flight was taxiing for take-off.
At 5:36 PM, air traffic control cleared the Ryanair flight for take-off. However, they soon realized the C-172 was moving on the adjacent runway. The Ryanair plane was ordered to stop immediately, but it did not.
The AAIU has classified this incident as a “loss of separation,” which is a serious breach of international safety regulations.
