Alaska Airlines aborts takeoff in Nashville to avoid “potential conflict” with plane on runway

Two days after two planes collided on the tarmac in Atlanta, a crisis was averted when the pilot of an Alaska Airlines flight in Tennessee slammed on the brakes while attempting to take off from Nashville International Airport (BNA), narrowly avoiding a possible collision with another plane.

According to an Alaska Airlines spokesman, Flight 369's takeoff from BNA on Thursday morning was aborted due to a “potential traffic conflict” with a Southwest aircraft on the runway.

The airline spokesman said the Alaska plane, which was en route to Seattle, had received clearance for takeoff from air traffic control.

The airline said the pilot applied the brakes abruptly, preventing the incident from escalating.

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“We are grateful for the experience of our pilots, who immediately applied the brakes to prevent the incident from escalating. Our pilots train for such situations and they handled the situation masterfully. The crew taxied the aircraft off the runway and near the terminal, where the tires deflated as planned due to heat generated by the sudden stop on the runway,” an Alaska Airlines spokesperson said in a statement.

The airline added that all 176 passengers and crew on board disembarked the aircraft and reached the terminal safely.

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Travelers make their way through Nashville International Airport in the US state of Tennessee. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

“We are deploying an additional aircraft to Nashville to transport our guests to Seattle. They are expected to arrive this evening. We deeply regret the distressing experience this has created for our guests and crew,” the airline said.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also issued a statement on the incident, adding that the incident was under investigation.

“The crew of Alaska Airlines Flight 369 aborted takeoff because Southwest Airlines Flight 2029 was cleared to cross the end of the same runway at Nashville International Airport. The Alaska Airlines crew reported blown tires while braking. The FAA is investigating the incident, which occurred around 9:15 a.m. local time on Thursday,” the FAA said.

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A woman walks outside Nashville International Airport in Tennessee. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Alaska Airlines added that no passengers or crew reported any injuries.

Officials said maintenance technicians in Nashville would inspect the aircraft.

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The near-collision at BNA occurred just two days after a Delta Airbus A350 and an Endeavor Bombardier CRJ900 brushed each other on the tarmac at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Tuesday.

Delta said in its own statement that “the wing of an Airbus A350, taxiing from Atlanta to Tokyo-Haneda as DL295, struck the tail of an Endeavor Air CRJ-900, DL5526 to LaFayette, Louisiana, on an adjacent taxiway, causing damage to the tail of the regional jet and the wing of the A350.”

Greg Norman of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.