Close call in Mumbai | IndiGo touchdown, Air India takeoff moments apart on same runway

A major accident was averted at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai on Saturday (June 8) after two flights came dangerously close on the runway. A viral video shows one flight landing on the same runway from which another flight was taking off.

The incident occurred on runway 27 at Mumbai Airport when IndiGo flight 6E 5053, arriving from Indore's Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport, landed on the runway while Air India flight AI657 was still in the process of taking off for Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. The landing and takeoff from the same runway in less than a minute created a chaotic situation that could have led to major mishap.

DGCA initiates probe

Aviation regulator DGCA is investigating the incident and has also derostered the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) who was on duty at the time of the incident on Saturday. “We are conducting a probe and have already de-rostered the ATCO involved in the incident,” the DGCA official said.

Mumbai airport is a single-runway operation with two crossing runways. On a single runway RW27 at the Mumbai airport, there are around 46 arrivals and departures per hour.

IndiGo too has initiated a probe into the matter. The airlines said its aircraft continued the approach and landing as per the ATC instructions.

Safety paramount: IndiGo

“On June 8, IndiGo flight 6E 6053 from Indore was given landing clearance by ATC at Mumbai Airport. The Pilot in Command continued the approach and landing and followed ATC instructions,” IndiGo said in a statement. “At IndiGo, passenger safety is paramount to us, and we have reported the incident as per procedure.”

According to an Airports Authority of India (AAI) source, as a rule, departing aircraft have to cross the end of the runway or take a turn, only after which the ATC can issue the landing clearance for arriving aircraft. “However, in this case, this was not allegedly not followed,” the source said.

“Mumbai airport is one of the high-density airports, which means that the number of flight movements is high. On a single runway RW27 at the airport, there are around 46 arrivals and departures per hour,” said another source.

High-density airport

Also, Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) are allowed to clear up to two arrivals and two departures within three minutes as per standard operating procedures, subject to certain conditions, according to source, who added that the separation minima between two aircraft can be reduced if the visibility is good.

“In this particular case that happened on Saturday at the Mumbai airport, the visibility was good and there was no air prox situation with respect to the landing IndiGo flight and the taking off Air India flight,” said the source.

“There might have been a delay in quite fair visibility. The tower controller is allowed to reduce separation minima between two aircraft's if reasonable assurance has been established by visualising both aircraft's.”

Significant pressure

“In the video it can be seen that departure has crossed V2 speed -- the speed at which the aircraft may safely climb with one engine inoperative and nosed up and on the other end of runway arrival is touching down,” he explained.

ATCs are under “significant pressure” when there is high density traffic at airports with the safety of aircraft and passengers, the source said, adding that the DGCA probe will be looking at whether all norms were followed by the ATC as well as the pilots concerned.

(With agency inputs)