For almost half an hour, 13 aircraft vanished from air
traffic controllers' radar screens as they flew at high altitude above Europe, Independent
UK reports. The "undprecedented"
disappearances happened on 5 June and 10 June, hitting control rooms in
Austria and neighbouring countries.
The relevant EU agencies have been asked to investigate,
Austria's flight safety organisation said on Thursday. Marcus Pohanka of Austro
Control said the height, location, identities and other information for a
total of 13 aircraft suddenly vanished.
He said several neighbouring countries had similar incidents
and the EU's Eurocontrol and European Aviation Safety Agency has been asked for
a probe. He did not identify the other nations. but the daily Kurier said
flight controllers in Munich and Karlsruhe in Germany, and in Prague, the Czech
Republic, also reported related problems.
The newspaper cited unnamed experts as saying interference
between the aircrafts' transponders and ground control was apparently to blame.
Pohanka declined to confirm that or to say which airlines and planes were
involved. But he suggested that at least some may have been long-distance
passenger aircraft, based on their high altitudes.
There was no danger at any time, he said, adding that extra
air controllers were immediately called to their posts, where workers
established voice contact with pilots and widened flight corridors.
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