Virgin Blue Airlines Group said it is aware of the recent inaccurate media report describing an occurrence in the Fijian airspace on May 7th as a near miss.

Manager Public Affairs Colin Lippiatte said this is not the case.

Lippiatte said the flight crew of both aircraft knew exactly where each aircraft was at all times.

Lippiatte also confirmed that the V Australia flight in question was not on its way to Fiji, but was a flight from Brisbane to Los Angeles which happened to be passing over the Fiji airspace.

Meanwhile, Air New Zealand has expressed concern at what it said are sensationalized media reports of a near mid-air collision between its aircraft and a Virgin Australia plane.

A spokesperson for Air New Zealand Lara Harrison confirmed to Fijivillage that last month, an Air New Zealand B767 was cleared by Nadi Air Traffic Control for descent into Nadi International Airport.  
She said both aircraft were in constant communication with Nadi Air Traffic Control and were aware of each other's location.

She stressed that there was never risk of a collision, contrary to reports on the front page of the Fiji Times yesterday.

Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji CEO Netava Waqa told Fijivillage that all they can say at this stage is that CAAFI is looking into the matter to respond to the discussions with the two airlines.

The Fiji Times reported yesterday that a major investigation is underway after a V Australia Boeing 777 and an Air New Zealand 767 narrowly missed a mid air collision in Fiji airspace on May 7th and were only seconds away from a disaster.