WATCH: Southwest Plane Aborts Landing to Avoid Colliding With Jet in Chicago as FAA Hit by Layoffs

A Southwest Airlines flight had to swerve to dodge a near-collision at Chicago's Midway Airport on Tuesday after a business jet entered the runway without clearance—as former employees warn "mistakes" to come after Trump's mass layoffs cut more than 100 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) jobs.

The near miss, caught on video, is exploding on social media and shows Flight 2504 yanking up just before touchdown as a FlexJet aircraft crosses its path.

"The crew performed a precautionary go-around to avoid a possible conflict with another aircraft that entered the runway," Southwest Airlines said in a statement confirming the incident. "The Crew followed safety procedures and the flight landed without incident. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees."

The FAA confirmed the incident occurred at 8:50 a.m. when a business jet entered the runway "without authorization." LiveATC audio reveals Southwest Flight 2504 had been cleared to land while the FlexJet 560, operating on a different frequency, was communicating with ground control.

This incident comes as the FAA is stretched thin as recent mass layoffs impact critical air traffic operations. More than 100 probationary employees–some responsible for air navigation mapping–were fired as part of DOGE's sweeping federal job cuts.

"We believe all of these employees are critical not only to the frontline safety workers, but to the entire aviation ecosystem," Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) National President Dave Spero said per ABC.

Some terminated employees were part of the FAA's Air Traffic Organization, which maintains navigation charts crucial for air traffic control.

"If we're no longer there to create the maps that air traffic controls are using, mistakes will eventually happen," one former FAA worker who asked to remain anonymous said.