Japan airports stop using air control's 'No.1' instruction for takeoff order

NHK has learned that the air traffic control instruction of "number 1" that indicates the order for planes to take off at Japanese airports will not be used for the time being. The move comes after the misinterpretation of the phrase could have led to last week's deadly collision between a Japan Airlines passenger plane and a Japan Coast Guard aircraft on a runway at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. The Coast Guard aircraft is believed to have mistakenly entered the runway after its pilot possibly misinterpreted "number 1" as clearance for takeoff. Traffic controllers and the JAL pilot were reportedly unaware of the aircraft's location. NHK has learned of emergency safety measures compiled by the transport ministry following the accident. The measures include having air traffic controllers give takeoff permission to pilots without telling them their number in the lineup. This will apply to Haneda and other airports nationwide. The numbers representing takeoff order are widely used at airports across Japan. They are used as practical information to facilitate smooth flight operations, rather than instructions by air controllers. Other safety measures will require air carriers to closely monitor the runways from the cockpit during takeoff and landing.<br/>