On February 25, 2025, a near miss involving two commercial jets at Chicago Midway International Airport has highlighted pressing safety issues within the aviation industry. Witnesses report that a Southwest Airlines flight was cleared to land on Runway 31C when a United Airlines jet began its takeoff on the same runway. The incident prompted the Southwest pilot to abort the landing at the last second. Flight data revealed that the planes were only 800 feet apart when the Southwest aircraft made the critical decision to pull up and circle again.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials were alerted to the incident, which could have resulted in a catastrophic collision. This near miss adds to a growing list of dangerous incidents in U.S. airspace, where safety advocates have pushed for improved oversight.
“We are thankful that the pilots acted quickly to avoid a potential disaster,” a spokesperson for the FAA stated, emphasizing the importance of vigilant safety measures. A preliminary investigation is underway, and the FAA has stated they will review potential violations of safety protocols.
Local aviation experts are calling for a deeper investigation into how such occurrences can be minimized in the future. “The risks are higher than ever, and we need to reassess our approach to air traffic management to avoid incidents like this in the future,” said John Gardner, an aviation analyst for a Chicago-based think tank. In response to the incident, Chicago officials are reviewing safety measures and communication protocols in partnership with the FAA.
