Map Shows How Chinese Planes Nearly Collided in Russian Airspace
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Two Chinese airliners narrowly avoided colliding in early July, after what a pilot appeared to not follow air traffic control instructions, almost resulting in disaster.
A Newsweek map traces the flight paths of the aircraft involved in the incident, which occurred high above Tuva—a southern Siberian region bordering Mongolia.
At the center of the mishap was an Air China Airbus A350, flight CA967, on route from Shanghai to Milan. The July 6 event began when the Air China jet unexpectedly maneuvered into the path of another Chinese plane.
The confusion appeared to have originated when the pilot was given instructions along with two other Chinese planes flying northwest of CA967, according to the South China Morning Post.
An Airbus A321 of Air China prepares to land at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in Shanghai on April 16, 2025.
An Airbus A321 of Air China prepares to land at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in Shanghai on April 16, 2025.
Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images
In a radio recording that circulated on Chinese social media, a Russian air traffic controller is heard instructing a Hainan Airlines jet and a second China Airlines plane to maintain an altitude of 36,000 feet. The authenticity of the recording could not be independently verified by Newsweek.
At around 9:40 a.m. local time, CA967 climbed unexpectedly from 34,100 feet to 36,000 feet within 15 minutes, according to Flightradar24 data. The pilot did not ask for air traffic control to approve the maneuver.
This sudden ascent brought the Air China jet into the path of a Boeing 767 cargo plane, flight CSS12, flying from Budapest, Hungary, to Ezhou, China. The two aircraft came within about 400 feet of each other—well below the internationally accepted 1,000-foot minimum.
Audio from the cockpit captured the cargo plane's pilot noting the unexpected presence of the Air China jet directly ahead, prompting the Russian controller to order immediate evasive maneuvers for both flights. The close encounter also triggered both planes' Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems, a last-resort automated alert designed to prevent midair collisions.
When the Air China pilot radioed to ask about the cause of the alert, the controller pressed: "Are you climbing with instruction or without instruction? Confirm, please." The Air China pilot replied: "No, thank you," which has drawn widespread commentary on Chinese social media.
The South China Morning Post reported that the two pilots communicated further with the Air China pilot appearing to blame a Russian air traffic controller for the incident, saying instructions had left pilots "confused".
A similar scare played out over the United States just days later.
On Friday, a Delta Air Lines passenger jet flying from Minneapolis to Minot, North Dakota, was forced to execute a hard turn to avoid a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber.
The Delta pilot expressed surprise that Minot Air Force Base, which has a radar, had not put out a notification about the flight.
An Air Force spokesperson told Newsweek the service was "looking into the matter."
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