CANARY ISLANDS — A potentially catastrophic mid-air collision between two commercial airliners was averted in the early hours of July 10, 2026, after onboard automated safety systems overrode conventional air traffic controls at 36,000 feet (approximately 11,000 meters).
The incident involved an Iberia Airbus A321 and an Air Europa Boeing 787-9, which found themselves flying directly toward each other at the exact same altitude on a single oceanic airway.
According to data released by Spain’s Independent Professional Union of Air Traffic Controllers (SPICA), the close call occurred at 01:23 UTC within the oceanic sector of the Canary Islands Flight Information Region (FIR/UIR)—a crucial airspace corridor linking Europe, Africa, and the Americas managed by the Spanish air navigation service provider ENAIRE.
Iberia flight IBE0140, an Airbus A321 (registration EC-OLE), was cruising northeast along airway N857 between the oceanic reporting points ETIBA and BIPET. At the exact same time, Air Europa flight AEA05, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (registration EC-NBM), was traveling along the very same airway at Flight Level 360, but heading in the opposite direction.
With both aircraft closing in on each other at a combined speed nearing 1,000 mph (1,600 km/h), the aviation industry’s ultimate safety net—the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS)—triggered on both flight decks.
After an initial Traffic Advisory warning, the onboard transponders automatically cross-communicated to generate complementary vertical escape maneuvers, bypassing any ground-based instructions:
- The Iberia Airbus A321 received a strict “TCAS RA DESCEND” order, prompting the crew to dive approximately 500 feet.
- The Air Europa Boeing 787-9 was simultaneously ordered to “TCAS RA CLIMB,” initiating a rapid 400-foot ascent.
Once the automated systems confirmed that safe vertical separation had been restored, both crews received a “CLEAR OF CONFLICT” notification and were able to safely resume their scheduled flight paths. Neither aircraft reported damages or injuries, and both flights reached their final destinations without further complications.
