Anti-Collision System Prevents Mid-Air Incident in Canary Islands-Controlled Airspace
Two passenger aircrafts travelling in opposite directions at the same altitude over the Atlantic were forced to take coordinated evasive action after their onboard collision-avoidance systems detected a potential conflict. Both flights continued safely, and Spain’s aviation accident investigation authority is examining what happened.
A potentially serious aviation incident in airspace managed by the Canary Islands is under investigation after an Iberia Airbus A321 and an Air Europa Boeing 787-9 found themselves travelling along the same airway, at the same flight level and in opposite directions.
The incident happened in the early hours of Friday, July 10, 2026, at approximately 01:23 UTC, in the oceanic sector of the Canary Islands FIR/UIR, the large Flight Information Region associated with the archipelago.
According to information made public by the Independent Professional Union of Air Traffic Controllers (SPICA), the aircraft were travelling on airway N857 when their onboard Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS) generated alerts requiring the crews to change altitude.
What happened in the Canary Islands airspace incident?
The two aircraft involved have been identified in official investigation details reported by aviation sources as:
- An Iberia Airbus A321, registration EC-OLE, operating as IBE0140 (IB140) and travelling northeast.
- An Air Europa Boeing 787-9, registration EC-NBM, with the flight callsign AEA05, travelling in the opposite direction.
Both aircraft were reportedly flying at FL360 – Flight Level 360, equivalent to approximately 36,000 feet (10,970 metres) above sea level.
The incident occurred between the ETIBA and BIPET waypoints on airway N857, within the oceanic sector of Spain’s Canary Islands FIR/UIR.
The Iberia aircraft was travelling northeast when its TCAS first generated a Traffic Advisory (TA) and subsequently issued a Resolution Advisory instructing the crew to descend.
At the same time, the Air Europa Boeing received a coordinated TCAS instruction to climb.
The Iberia aircraft descended by approximately 500 feet, while the Air Europa aircraft climbed by around 400 feet. The coordinated manoeuvres continued until the TCAS system indicated that the potential conflict had been resolved.
Both aircraft were then able to continue their journeys normally.
Where exactly did the incident happen?
The event took place in the oceanic sector of the Canary Islands Flight Information Region, over the Atlantic and near the West African/Saharan coast, according to specialist aviation reporting. The Canary Islands FIR/UIR covers a much larger area of controlled airspace than the geographical boundaries of the islands themselves.
There is therefore no indication that the incident occurred close to César Manrique-Lanzarote Airport, nor that flights arriving at or departing from Lanzarote Airport were directly involved.
What is TCAS and how did it help?
TCAS – Traffic Collision Avoidance System – is an important safety system carried aboard commercial aircraft.
The technology monitors other suitably equipped aircraft in the surrounding airspace. When it calculates that two aircraft could come into conflict, it can initially alert pilots to the presence of the other aircraft.
If the situation requires action, the system can issue a Resolution Advisory (RA).
Crucially, the systems aboard the two aircrafts can coordinate their instructions so that the pilots do not take conflicting action. In this case, one crew was instructed to descend while the other was instructed to climb, rapidly increasing the vertical separation between the two aircraft.
The fact that TCAS activated as designed is an important part of the story: while investigators will now seek to establish why the two aircraft were travelling on the same airway at the same flight level in opposing directions, the onboard safety system successfully provided the crews with coordinated instructions to resolve the immediate situation.
Spanish aviation authorities investigating
The incident has reportedly been registered by Spain’s Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation Commission (CIAIAC) under reference IN-017/2026.
The investigation will be important in establishing the precise sequence of events and determining why the two aircraft came into potential conflict.
Should tourists flying to Lanzarote be concerned?
For the millions of passengers who travel to and from the Canary Islands and Lanzarote every year, the incident may understandably sound alarming. However, both aircrafts were able to continue their flights after the TCAS alerts were resolved.
The incident demonstrates one of the multiple layers of protection built into modern commercial aviation. Investigators will now focus on understanding how the conflict developed and whether any procedures, systems or operational practices need to be changed to prevent a similar occurrence.
The CIAIAC investigation will ultimately be responsible for determining the circumstances and causes and, where appropriate, making safety recommendations.
