New system for air traffic control centre

Crucial software at the UK’s air traffic control headquarters is reportedly to be upgraded after a near miss involving two large passenger planes. According to a report in The Guardian newspaper, a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 and a Delta Air Lines Boeing 767 came within 1.8 nautical miles of each other, less than the legal minimum. The newspaper reports that the pilot of the Virgin plane assessed the risk of collision as high; he stated that after being alerted by his cockpit collision avoidance system, he spotted the other plane and had to gain height quickly. The Guardian quotes a report by the UK Airprox Board, which reportedly puts the blame on faulty software at the UK traffic control centre at Swanwick, Hampshire. The report states that the individual controller thought his instructions were directing the planes away from each other, but in fact, they were bringing the two jets closer together. National Air Traffic Services (Nats) reportedly told the newspaper that the upgraded software would be operational by the end of February.