The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has taken swift action by de-rostering an Air Traffic Control officer (ATCO) officer from Mumbai following a potentially disastrous incident involving two aircraft on the same runway.
The incident occurred 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 involved Airbus A320neo aircraft. The close timing of the landing and takeoff created a hazardous situation that could have resulted in a significant accident.
The DGCA's immediate response to de-roster the ATC officer involved reflects the seriousness of the incident and the emphasis on maintaining strict safety standards in aviation operations.
An investigation is underway to understand the circumstances that led to this breach in protocol and to implement measures to prevent similar occurrences 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.
After reviewing the footage recorded and shared widely on social media, it appeared that the Air India flight was accelerating down the runway as the IndiGo flight descended towards the ground.
As the A320neo got closer, the Air India flight managed to get airborne, likely unaware of the other aircraft approaching from behind. It was able to take off without incident.
However IndiGo stated after the incident, "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."
