Southwest Flight 1496 sharply descended nearly 500 feet, according to flight tracking websites, marking the second time in a week that a US commercial jet was forced to make abrupt flight maneuvers to avoid a potential mid-air collision.

(Reuters) -Two flight attendants on a Southwest Airlines flight departing from Burbank, California were injured and being treated on Friday after pilots took evasive action to avoid another aircraft, the airline said. Southwest Flight 1496 sharply descended nearly 500 feet, according to flight tracking websites.