Latest news with #Tuva
The Independent
15-07-2025
- General
- The Independent
Chinese passenger plane narrowly avoids mid-air collision with cargo jet over Siberia
Two Chinese aircraft allegedly came within seconds of colliding over Russian airspace earlier this month after an unauthorised altitude change by an Air China passenger jet led to the dangerous convergence with a cargo plane. Air China Flight CA967, en route from Shanghai to Milan, abruptly climbed from 34,100 to 36,000ft without instruction from Russian air traffic control on 6 July, reported the South China Morning Post. The manoeuvre brought it within roughly 300 to 400ft (90–120m) of SF Airlines Flight CSS128, a Boeing 767 cargo jet flying from Budapest to Ezhou in central China. International aviation safety protocols require a minimum vertical separation of 1,000ft between aircraft at cruising altitude. The near miss occurred above Tuva, a remote mountainous region in southern Siberia bordering Mongolia, and was captured on live tracking data from Flightradar24. The unauthorised ascent triggered onboard alarms known as the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) in both aircraft, prompting emergency evasive action. Audio recordings circulating on Chinese social media since the weekend suggest the Russian controller was simultaneously handling four aircraft and may have issued unclear instructions. The source of the leaked recordings remains unknown and their authenticity could not be independently verified. Air China, SF Airlines and China's civil aviation authority have not issued public comments. The Independent has written to them for comments. In the English-language communication, the controller is heard asking: 'Are you climbing with instruction or without instruction? Confirm, please.' The Air China pilot replies: 'No. Thank you.' It remains unclear why the Air China crew altered altitude but miscommunication of command directed at another aircraft is being considered as a possible reason, reported Belgium outlet The pilot's full response was inaudible due to overlapping radio transmissions. After switching to a private frequency, the two Chinese pilots conversed in Mandarin. The SF Airlines captain expressed concern over the climb, calling it 'very inappropriate' and questioned whether the move had been cleared. The Air China pilot attributed the confusion to a Russian controller who he claimed had made 'a fuss', leaving the crew 'confused.' He admitted they would need to file an official report.
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Passenger jet and cargo plane miss each other by just 300ft over Russia after 'unexpected manoeuvre' by Air China flight puts it on collision course
In a chilling near-miss above Russia, a passenger jet and a cargo plane came within just 300ft of each other after an 'unexpected manoeuvre' by an Air China pilot sent the aircraft directly into the path of an oncoming Boeing 767. The dramatic incident, which unfolded in the early hours of July 7 over Tuva, a mountainous region bordering Mongolia, has reignited growing fears over global aviation safety. Shockingly, the two aircraft - Air China Flight CA967 bound for Milan and an SF Airlines cargo plane heading to China - should have been separated by at least 1,000ft, in line with international safety regulations. Instead, the Air China Airbus A350 mysteriously began climbing from 34,100ft to 36,000ft without clearance from Russian air traffic control, placing it on a near-collision course with the cargo jet flying at 35,000ft. Startling audio recordings that surfaced over the weekend on Chinese social media appear to capture the confusion in the skies, with multiple pilots attempting to communicate with a Russian controller juggling four planes at once. The near miss triggered an alarm known as the Traffic Collision Avoidance System on both planes, prompting the Air China pilot to ask air traffic control what had caused this to happen. The audio, mostly in English, paints a picture of mounting chaos as the Airbus edged dangerously close to the Boeing. The controller asked: 'Are you climbing with instruction or without instruction? Confirm, please.' The pilot replied: 'No. Thank you.' What exactly prompted the sudden ascent remains a mystery. One theory is that the Air China pilot may have misheard instructions given to another aircraft nearby. While two other planes - another Air China flight and a Hainan Airlines jet - were told to maintain their altitudes, Flight CA967 received no such directive before it began its unsanctioned climb. Radar data confirms the terrifying approach, showing the jets heading almost directly toward one another at high-speed at cruising altitude. The SF Airlines pilot, reportedly the first to spot the looming danger, urgently requested confirmation from air traffic control, only to be told an Airbus A350 was right in front of him. A swift order was given that both aircraft were to veer off immediately in opposite directions to avoid catastrophe. But behind the scenes, tensions flared. It is not known who released the recording and it could not be independently verified. Air China, SF Airlines and the Civil Aviation Administration of China have been asked for comment by local media. The recording circulating online also includes a conversation between the two pilots after they switched to a different communication channel and spoke to each other in Mandarin. The sound quality meant that parts of the conversation were inaudible, but at one point the cargo pilot was heard to say: 'I saw your plane climbing. Did [air traffic control] instruct you to? 'I saw that there was a plane ahead and it was only 20 nautical miles [37km] away and still climbing. Such a crossing altitude is very inappropriate. I guess you also heard me saying 'request traffic information'.' The Air China pilot appeared to blame the female Russian air traffic controller for the incident, saying 'the girl' was 'making a fuss' and had left everyone 'confused'. He later said: 'We couldn't explain it clearly to them' and 'didn't know how to tell them'. The pilot added: 'I assume we'll have to write a report on this kind of incident when we get back.'
South China Morning Post
14-07-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Chinese planes have near miss after Air China flight makes unexplained change of height
Two Chinese planes were involved in a near miss in Russian airspace earlier this month in an incident that has sparked fresh concerns over aviation safety Recordings of the pilots' discussions with air traffic control suggest that an Air China passenger plane made an unexpected manoeuvre that put it on a potential collision course with an SF Airlines cargo plane. The manoeuvre had not been requested by air traffic control and the reason why the plane did this is yet to be explained. However, the recording shows that the air traffic controller had asked another plane in the area to change altitude and one possible explanation is that the Air China pilot had misheard or misunderstood the instruction sent to the other plane. In the incident, which happened over Tuva, a remote part of Siberia that borders Mongolia, the two planes came within 300-400 feet (around 90-120 metres) of each other, much closer than the global minimum standard of 1,000 feet, according to live tracker Flightradar24. Radar shows that the near-collision happened when Air China Flight CA967, an Airbus A350 travelling from Shanghai to Milan, started climbing from a height of 34,100 feet to 36,000 feet between 21:39 and 21:52 GMT on Sunday, July 6 (just before 6am the following day Chinese time).
Bloomberg
19-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Russia Says China's Zijin Agrees to Keep Siberian Zinc Mine Open
Russia's Tuva region said it has agreed with Zijin Mining Group to keep the Kyzyl-Tashtyg zinc mine working after sanctions prompted the Chinese company to weigh suspending operations. Zijin's Russian unit, which operates the Siberian zinc deposit, will cancel its earlier order to halt the mine from June following a meeting between local authorities and Chinese company's President Zou Laichang, according to a statement from Tuva Governor Vladislav Khovalyg published Monday.
Russia Today
13-05-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Russia sentences former oligarch over $300 million theft
A Moscow court has sentenced Russian former banking magnate Sergey Pugachev to 14 years in a penal colony on charges of embezzlement. Pugachev has been living in France for the past several years and was convicted in absentia. The Tverskoy Court in the Russian capital issued the verdict on Tuesday, also ordering Pugachev to pay an 800,000 ruble ($9,900) fine. Pugachev cofounded Mezhprombank in the early 1990s, and later served as a senator for the Republic of Tuva in the national parliament. He renounced his Russian citizenship in 2012 amid accusations of deliberately bankrupting Mezhprombank, and has since been naturalized in France. In the verdict announced by Judge Aleksey Krivoruchko, Pugachev was found guilty of large-scale embezzlement and abuse of authority. The court ordered the seizure of his assets and upheld a civil claim by the Deposit Insurance Agency, awarding 28.7 billion rubles ($310 million) in damages. The sentence was handed down in absentia as the French authorities have refused to extradite Pugachev, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office said. According to investigators, between 2008-2009 Pugachev coordinated the theft of funds from Mezhprombank alongside Aleksandr Didenko, head of the bank's executive board, and Dmitry Amunts, general director of ZAO OPK Development. Additionally, in 2010, on Pugachev's instructions, acting executive board chair Marina Illarionova allegedly signed agreements canceling collateral linked to earlier loan contracts. Prosecutors said this action deprived the bank of the means to recover loaned funds. The loans were never repaid, causing losses of at least 64.5 billion rubles ($796 million) according to the Prosecutor General's Office. Authorities said the damage led to the bank's insolvency and its inability to meet obligations to creditors.
