DGCA Probes IndiGo, Air India's Near Collision At Mumbai Airport
The Air Traffic Controller on duty during the incident on Saturday has been removed from duty by the watchdog.
India's aviation regulator DGCA is investigating an incident where an IndiGo plane landed and an Air India aircraft took off from the same runway at Mumbai airport within a minute, officials reported on Sunday.
The Air Traffic Controller on duty during the incident on Saturday has been removed from duty by the watchdog. IndiGo has also launched an investigation into the matter. A video purportedly showing one plane landing and another taking off from the same runway has circulated on social media.
"We are investigating and have already removed the ATCO involved in the incident," stated a DGCA official.
Mumbai airport operates with a single runway, managing over 850 flights daily. Approximately 46 arrivals and departures occur per hour on the single runway RW27 at Mumbai airport.
IndiGo said that its aircraft followed ATC instructions during the landing of flight 6E 6053 from Indore on Saturday. "At IndiGo, passenger safety is our top priority, and we have reported the incident according to protocol," the statement read.
According to an Airports Authority of India source, departing aircraft must clear the end of the runway or make a turn before ATC can authorize landing clearance for arriving aircraft. However, this protocol was allegedly not followed in this instance, as per the source.
The Air Traffic Controllers' Guild clarified that there was no air proximity situation during the incident. It noted that ATCs face significant pressure during high-density traffic periods at airports.
Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport had earlier announced an 8% increase in air traffic movements during the summer schedule. The Guild stated that if there had been a safety risk, the pilot would have initiated a go-around.
Standard operating procedures allow ATCs to clear up to two arrivals and departures within three minutes, with reduced separation minimums in good visibility conditions. The Guild stressed that the DGCA probe would examine whether all norms were followed by the ATC and pilots involved.
With PTI inputs.
