An All Nippon Airways passenger jet took evasive action after coming close to a government inspection aircraft near Tokyo’s Haneda airport on Tuesday, in the latest aviation safety incident at the airport since a deadly runway collision in 2024.
According to Japanese media reports, ANA flight NH968 from Shanghai was approaching the airport at around 6am on Tuesday when its traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) was activated, warning of a potential collision risk with another aircraft.
The Boeing 767, with 197 passengers and crew, was descending towards runway C when the pilots followed the TCAS instructions and climbed to avoid the other aircraft, the reports said, citing Japan’s transport ministry and the airline.
The aircraft landed safely at around 6.10am and no passengers or crew members were injured.
The other aircraft was a Civil Aviation Bureau-operated flight inspection aircraft, known as Dr White, which took off from runway D and was conducting checks on navigation and airport facilities, Japanese media reported. The bureau is a division of the transport ministry.
No imminent risk
According to the reports, the inspection aircraft turned after take-off and crossed the flight path of the descending ANA plane. The airline said there had been no imminent risk of collision and the incident had been reported to the ministry, which was investigating.