Probe Launched Into Near-Miss Incident Involving Turkish Airlines and SunExpress Flights

An investigation has been launched after a Turkish Airlines and a SunExpress flight were involved in a near-miss incident over North Macedonia on 7 September.

An investigation been launched after a Turkish Airlines and a SunExpress flight narrowly avoided a potential mid-air collision on 7 September 2024.

The in-flight incident involved a Turkish Airlines Airbus A321-200 and a SunExpress Boeing 737-800 operating over North Macedonia.

Turkish Flight TK1358 & SunExpress Flight XQ690

flight track of Turkish Airlines flight TK1358

Turkish Airlines flight TK1358 was bound for Istanbul, Turkey from Madrid, Spain and operating at flight level FL360 (36,000 feet).

At the same time that flight TK1358 was nearing Skopje, North Macedonia, SunExpress flight XQ690 was en route. The flight was operating a north-westerly route from Dalaman, Turkey to London Gatwick, UK.

The SunExpress aircraft was also operating at FL360 and was on a converging flight path with the Turkish Airlines flight. The two aircraft came sufficiently close enough to one another for the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) to trigger warnings to both flights.

The TCAS conflict resolution advisory issued an instruction for the SunExpress aircraft to climb. The system simultaneously directed the Turkish Airlines flight to descend to FL340.

Flight crews of both aircraft then complied with the respective instructions and were able to continue to their destinations without further incident.

Aircraft Details

A Turkish Airlines A321neo approaches to land.

The Turkish Airlines aircraft involved in the in-flight incident was an Airbus A321neo registered TC-LPB. This is a 0.8 year old narrowbody aircraft belonging to the national carrier Turkish Airlines. It has been an operational service with the airline since its initial delivery in December 2023.

The conflicting SunExpress aircraft was a Boeing 737-800, registered TC-SEZ. This is an 8.3 year old narrowbody aircraft belonging to the carrier SunExpress.

It has been in operational service with the airline since its initial delivery in May 2016. The aircraft was leased to South African Airways for a period between October 2023 to April 2024. SunExpress is a joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa Group.

The North Macedonian Civil Aviation Authority will conduct an investigation to determine how the loss of separation occurred between the two aircraft.