Mexican flight aborts landing just in time to avoid collision with plane on runway

Videos circulating on social media show hair-raising near-miss

A low-cost flight was forced to abort its landing in Mexico on Saturday, after pilots spotted another aircraft on the runway.

Videos circulating on social media show a Volaris jet coming in to land at Mexico City International Airport after dark, but pulling up sharply just above another plane waiting on the ground.

Mexican journalist Luis Cardenas tweeted the clip saying: “Another error! In the video, a Volaris plane is seen on the AICM runway, waiting to take off; while another plane of the same airline is about to land, but seeing the traffic the pilot goes into the air again.”

Volaris founder and CEO Enrique Beltranena confirmed the incident on Twitter, but said that thanks to crew training, there was no risk to passenger safety.

“Thanks to the training of our pilots and their impeccable monitoring of the processes, no passenger or crew member was at risk during the situation reported on #AICM on the night of May 7,” wrote Mr Beltranena.

“Teams, crews and warning systems prepare daily to face similar situations that do not depend on the airlines, and that can happen in aviation.”

The airline did not disclose the flight numbers, exact model of aircraft - though they are thought to be Airbus jets - or how many passengers were onboard each flight.

The carrier is known to use Airbus A320s, which seat up to 170 passengers, and Airbus A321s, which seat up to 200.

Mexico City’s air traffic control management has come under fire in the past year over safety concerns after the city’s airspace was redesigned to accommodate a second airport.

Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador unveiled the new Felipe Ángeles International Airport, one of four keystone projects he is racing to finish before his term ends in 2024, in late March.

According to a letter from the International Air Transport Association, in the past year there have been at least 17 incidents of ground proximity warning system alerts for planes approaching the city’s original Benito Juarez International Airport.

Local media reports say that Victor Hernandez Sandoval, who had been tasked with redesigning the city’s airspace, has resigned.

The Independent has approached Volaris airlines for further comment.