Aircraft collision averted at Chennai airport

      
CHENNAI: A collision between two planes was averted at the airport here when an alert air traffic control halted a cargo aircraft from moving without clearance towards the runway where a passenger airliner was preparing to take off.
       
According to airport sources, the Bangalore-bound Paramount Airways flight with 49 persons on board was taking off when the Etihaad cargo plane from an adjacent bay started moving towards the same runway on Thursday night.
 
Airport Apron Duty Manager S Yuganantam spotted the cargo plane and immediately asked the pilot to stop.
      
Officials said if the aircraft had not been stopped, it would have resulted in a collision with the Paramount plane.
       
The Dubai-bound cargo flight, which allegedly ignored Air Traffic Control (ATC) signals, was scheduled to leave at around 1100 hrs, the sources said. But it did not take off as its pilot refused to fly beyond duty hours.
  
A high-level team from Delhi will conduct a detailed probe into the incident, they said.
 
The cargo aircraft, detained along with its pilot for enquiry, was granted permission to leave today, the sources said.