ISLAMABAD (Xinhua) -- Two Pakistan International Airlines planes survived a mid-air collision while flying on the same course and altitude over Iranian territory on Sunday, officials said Tuesday.

Amanullah Qureshi, an official of PIA, told Xinhua that the unfortunate situation occurred on Sunday due to the negligence of Iranian air traffic control, which allowed the two planes to fly at the same altitude, bringing them very close, adding that a letter had been sent. To the relevant Iranian authorities to open an investigation into the incident.

A Boeing 777 flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet on its flight from Islamabad to Dubai approached an Airbus A320 on its way to Peshawar from Doha, PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan told local media. .

He said the Airbus A320 was flying at 36,000 feet and had been allowed to descend to 20,000 feet, which would have pushed it into the path of the Boeing 777.

He added that the aircraft traffic collision avoidance system corrected the trajectory of both aircraft and directed them automatically to avoid the occurrence of a major disaster in the air.