Investigation Launched After Commercial Planes Nearly Collide At Airport

Two commercial airplanes nearly collided on a runway at Benito Juárez Mexico City International Airport, prompting an investigation.

A Delta Air Lines plane was on its takeoff roll when an Aeromexico regional jet flew overhead and landed on the same runway.

The two aircraft came within 200 feet of each other.

“At Mexico City International Airport, a Delta plane bound for Atlanta came within 200 feet of an Aeroméxico passenger jet descending on the same runway after air traffic control cleared both planes for their takeoff and landing,” World News Tonight wrote.

Watch the coverage below:

At Mexico City International Airport, a Delta plane bound for Atlanta came within 200 feet of an Aeroméxico passenger jet descending on the same runway after air traffic control cleared both planes for their takeoff and landing. @GioBenitez has details. https://t.co/QzCTi776bC pic.twitter.com/IPgrO4Zavq

— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) July 23, 2025

More from ABC News:

Delta Air Lines said the Atlanta-bound flight with 150 people onboard was on its takeoff roll when the crew aborted after observing “another aircraft landing in front of their aircraft on the same runway.”

In air traffic control recordings, the Delta pilot can be heard saying, “We are holding on the runway” followed by someone saying, “Wow” and “Increíble.” (Spanish for “incredible.”) It is unclear if that was said by a nearby pilot or a controller.

The Delta plane had reached a speed of approximately 60 miles per hour before it stopped.

The Delta jet returned to its gate before finally departing to its destination later that morning.

“There are parallel runways at Mexico City. So we don’t know if the controller told the Aeromexico aircraft to land on the left-hand and not the right-hand runway where the Delta jet was,” said Steve Ganyard, an ABC News aviation contributor and former fighter pilot. “We also don’t know, perhaps the tower controller didn’t understand that they had cleared the Aeromexico aircraft to land while simultaneously clearing the Delta jet to take off.”