Delta and Aeromexico planes nearly collide at Mexico City airport

An Aeroméxico plane nearly collided with a Delta Air Lines plane while landing in Mexico City.

FlightRadar24 data shows that Aeroméxico flight 1631 flew over Delta flight 590 on runway 5R at Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City before proceeding to land in front of it on the same runway. The two planes were only 200 feet apart, according to FlightRadar24 data.

Delta Air Lines said the flight bound for Atlanta with 150 people on board was on its takeoff roll when the crew aborted after observing another aircraft landing in front of their aircraft on the same runway.

The Delta plane had reached a speed of approximately 60 miles per hour before coming to a stop.

The Delta plane returned to its gate before finally departing for its destination that same morning.

“There are parallel runways in Mexico City. So we don't know if the controller told the Aeromexico plane to land on the left runway and not the right one, where the Delta plane was,” said Steve Ganyard, an aviation contributor for ABC News and former fighter pilot.

“We also don't know if the tower controller misunderstood that the Aeromexico plane had been cleared to land while simultaneously clearing the Delta jet to take off,” he added.

In a statement to ABC, Delta said, “Because nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, Delta will cooperate fully with authorities as they investigate the circumstances surrounding this flight. We appreciate the actions of the flight crew to maintain situational awareness and act quickly — part of Delta's extensive training.”

Aeroméxico said the airline is working closely with authorities as they conduct a detailed investigation of the incident.

“At Aeroméxico, the safety of our customers and employees is, and always will be, our highest priority,” the airline said in a statement.

As authorities investigate the incident, aviation experts say they will look into whether there was a communication failure.