Alaska Airlines plane aborts takeoff to avoid colliding with Southwest Airlines plane in Nashville

An Alaska Airlines flight aborted takeoff Thursday to avoid potentially colliding with a Southwest Airlines plane that was cleared to cross in front of it in Nashville, Tennessee, officials said.

Alaska Airlines Flight 369 received clearance for takeoff from Nashville International Airport on Thursday morning, but the pilots on the Seattle-bound plane had to quickly hit the brakes "due to a potential traffic conflict on the runway," Alaska Airlines said in a statement.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Southwest Airlines Flight 2029 was cleared to cross the end of the runway.