What should you do if a second aircraft is about to land on a conflicting path with another arriving aircraft?

What should you do if a second aircraft is about to land on a conflicting path with another arriving aircraft?

• A. Issue prompt separation instructions and coordinate with the other controller to resolve the conflict
• B. Let the first aircraft land and then the second
• C. Hold both aircraft on the ground until resolved
• D. Divert the second aircraft to another runway

Answer: (A)

When two arriving aircraft are on conflicting final approaches, the priority is to establish and maintain safe separation immediately while coordinating with the other controller to resolve the conflict. This means issuing prompt instructions to separate the flights—such as vectors to move one aircraft off its final approach path, altitude or speed changes to create vertical or longitudinal spacing, or a short holding pattern if needed—and then coordinating with the other controller to align their sequencing and ensure both aircraft can land safely with adequate separation. Why this works: acting quickly to create separation removes the immediate risk of a loss of separation as both aircraft near the runway. Coordinating with the other controller ensures both sectors have a unified plan, preventing surprises and enabling any necessary adjustments to be applied consistently. The other choices don’t fit because they either don’t address the conflict in the air (letting one land first), are inefficient or impractical (holding both on the ground), or rely on routing the aircraft to a different runway without first attempting to resolve the conflict with separation and coordination.

When two arriving aircraft are on conflicting final approaches, the priority is to establish and maintain safe separation immediately while coordinating with the other controller to resolve the conflict. This means issuing prompt instructions to separate the flights—such as vectors to move one aircraft off its final approach path, altitude or speed changes to create vertical or longitudinal spacing, or a short holding pattern if needed—and then coordinating with the other controller to align their sequencing and ensure both aircraft can land safely with adequate separation.

Why this works: acting quickly to create separation removes the immediate risk of a loss of separation as both aircraft near the runway. Coordinating with the other controller ensures both sectors have a unified plan, preventing surprises and enabling any necessary adjustments to be applied consistently.

The other choices don’t fit because they either don’t address the conflict in the air (letting one land first), are inefficient or impractical (holding both on the ground), or rely on routing the aircraft to a different runway without first attempting to resolve the conflict with separation and coordination.