Two jets narrowly avoided a collision while departing Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport earlier this month, prompting a federal investigation.
A Volaris Airlines flight bound for El Salvador made an unauthorized right turn into the path of a United Express flight headed to Jackson, Mississippi, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Air traffic control instructed Volaris Flight 4321 to turn left after departing Houston Intercontinental Airport on Dec. 18, but instead, the crew turned right towards CommuteAir Flight 814, which departed from a parallel runway, according to the FAA.
United Airlines is a partial owner of CommuteAir.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic control tower at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston, Texas, US, on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The incident occurred around 3:05 p.m. local time. The FAA said it is still investigating.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VLRS | CONTROLADORA VUELA COMP DE AVIACION | 8.95 | -0.27 | -2.88% |
| UAL | UNITED AIRLINES HOLDINGS INC. | 111.45 | -2.59 | -2.27% |
CommuterAir told that, based on its initial assessment, its “crew followed all applicable ATC instructions.”
An United Airlines plane is seen at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on July 25, 2025, in Houston, Texas. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
A Volaris aircraft prepares to land at Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX) in Mexico City, Mexico, on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (Mauricio Palos/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The Houston Intercontinental Airport sees an average of 500 daily arriving flights and over 20 million passenger arrivals annually, according to the airport’s website.
Despite the rise in close calls and related safety incidents in the airline industry, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has maintained that it is safe to fly.
He reiterated the message ahead of the Christmas holiday, a time when thousands of passengers crowd airports nationwide.
“You saw that as we were getting into the last days of the shutdown, we reduced the capacity of airlines by 10% because we saw the trend lines going in the wrong direction. We will take whatever steps are necessary to make sure the airspace is safe,” Duffy told earlier this month.