Gulf Air said no passengers were in danger following a near miss midair collision with a Saudi plane.   A Saudi Arabian Airlines plane came within 800 vertical feet (200 feet less than industry guidelines)  of a Gulf Air flight from Bahrain carrying 180 passengers.  The Saudi Arabian Airlines flight, which was carrying 377 passengers, was warned by air traffic controllers.   

An airport official explained the incident: “The Saudi aircraft had climbed 200 feet without permission from the Air Traffic Control (ATC).”  The Gulf Air pilot spotted another aircraft climbing into his airspace on his warning system.  A Gulf Air spokesperson confirmed the incident but maintained there was no safety risk.  She said they received an alert on board TCAS to make sure the plane stayed within the regulation 1,000 feet vertical separation from another aircraft.