The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has swiftly de-rostered an Air Traffic Control officer (ATCO) from Mumbai following a near-catastrophic incident involving two aircraft on the same runway. The event took place on June 8 at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM).
In the early hours of Saturday, IndiGo flight 5053, arriving from Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport (IDR), landed on runway 27 while Air India flight 657 was still in the process of taking off for Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (TRV). Both flights were operating Airbus A320neo aircraft. The close timing of these maneuvers created a hazardous situation that could have led to a major accident.
The DGCA’s immediate decision to de-roster the ATC officer involved underscores the severity of the incident and the importance of adhering to strict safety protocols in aviation operations. An investigation is currently underway to determine the factors that contributed to this breach in protocol and to implement measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“Mumbai and Delhi airports are high-intensity airports, operating around 46 flights per hour. ATCOs are responsible for maintaining the safe and secure arrival and departure of planes and passengers. In the viral video, the visibility appears to be quite good. If there is reasonable assurance through visual observation, the traffic separation minima can be reduced. In this incident, it appeared that the departing aircraft had already reached B2 speed and was nose-up while the arriving aircraft was touching down on Runway 27. The matter is under investigation,” said Alok Yadav, General Secretary of the ATC Guild India.
Footage of the incident, widely shared on social media, shows the Air India flight accelerating down the runway as the IndiGo flight descended. As the A320neo got closer, the Air India flight managed to take off, likely unaware of the approaching aircraft. Fortunately, the flight took off without any incident.
Following the incident, IndiGo stated, “On Jun 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. At IndiGo, passenger safety is paramount to us, and we have reported the incident as per procedure.”