Runway incursion at Nice airport prompts investigation after near miss between two Airbus jets

Reports indicate that during this maneuver, the Nouvelair jet passed only three meters above the stationary easyJet plane. After climbing out, it circled and landed safely about 15 minutes later on its intended runway. The easyJet crew decided not to continue their journey after the near miss, resulting in the cancellation of flight U2-4706.

A spokesperson for easyJet commented: “The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority and in line with procedures, we are fully cooperating with the safety investigation that has been launched in order to understand what happened.”

The Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) is leading the investigation into whether pilot error or miscommunication played a role. Weather may also have been a factor; reports cite heavy rain and thunderstorms reducing visibility below nine kilometers at Nice during the incident.

Local media reported that airport authorities believe a mistake by the Nouvelair pilot may have contributed but emphasized that investigations are ongoing.

Similar incidents have occurred elsewhere recently. At Basel Airport two weeks prior, another close call took place when an easyJet A320 departing for Palma de Mallorca aborted takeoff because another easyJet aircraft was landing on the same runway. According to an airline statement: "following instructions from air traffic control, a flight departing from Basel to Palma de Mallorca aborted its take off and a flight arriving from Budapest performed a routine go around...At no point was the safety of those onboard compromised. Once cleared by the tower, both flights continued their journeys normally."

Industry-wide data suggests such near misses are increasing globally. A New York Times report from 2023 highlighted a rise in Category A runway incursions—those where collisions were narrowly avoided—by 25% over ten years at major US airports.