France’s BEA has updated its investigation into the September 2025 near-miss at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, where a Nouvelair Airbus A320 flew close over a stationary easyJet A320 lined up on runway 04R. The latest interim findings centre on an unusual night-time reenactment using an easyJet aircraft and crew, carried out in January to examine whether runway lighting and cockpit perception contributed to the incident.
Investigators are focusing on the airport’s parallel runways, 04L and 04R, which use different lighting systems. The BEA is examining whether the contrast between older halogen lighting and brighter LED lighting affected the crew’s visual cues during approach.
The original event involved the Nouvelair crew being cleared for runway 04L but aligning instead with runway 04R, where the easyJet aircraft was waiting for departure. The BEA has not reached a final conclusion and the inquiry remains open as analysis continues.