
An air incident that could have turned into a tragedy of international proportions occurred on July 6, 2025 over the airspace of the Republic of Tuva, Russia, but the event has only now been made public.
Two Chinese planes reportedly came very close to the fatal collision.
One, an Air China passenger plane, which regularly travels from Shanghai to Milan's Malpensa Airport, and the other, an SF Airlines cargo plane, which was flying from Budapest to the Chinese city of Ezhou.
According to preliminary information, the two aircraft approached at an alarming distance of only 90 to 120 meters, a figure well below the safety threshold that provides for at least three times this distance.
This extreme proximity has caused panic and is considered a real risk of head-on collision in mid-air.
Chinese authorities have launched an investigation to determine whether the Air China plane changed its flight altitude with the authorization of Russian controllers. What averted the tragedy was the automatic TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System), which warned the pilots in time of the impending danger.
On orders from Russian controllers, both aircraft immediately performed maneuvers and managed to escape a tragic end.
The incident has caused strong reactions, especially due to the fact that there were many European and Italian passengers on board the Air China plane, which would have turned the crash into a tragedy with global consequences.