Two aircraft nearly collided on the same runway at Mumbai airport Tuesday night after receiving conflicting instructions [1].
The incident highlights potential vulnerabilities in air traffic control coordination at one of India's busiest aviation hubs. A failure in runway clearance protocols could have resulted in a catastrophic collision between two commercial jets.
The near-miss occurred around 10 p.m. [2] when an Air India flight bound for Delhi was preparing to depart [3]. According to reports, the Delhi-bound aircraft was cleared to begin its take-off roll while another plane remained on the strip [4].
That second aircraft, an Air India Express plane arriving from Siliguri, had just landed and had not yet cleared the runway [5]. The two planes came face-to-face on the tarmac, a situation that required immediate intervention to prevent a crash [6].
"A potential runway collision was averted at Mumbai airport Tuesday night," MSN.com said [7]. The Air India flight aborted its take-off following instructions from air traffic control [8].
"The incident took place around 10 p.m. when the Air India flight bound for Delhi was getting ready to depart," MSN.com said [9]. This sequence of events suggests a lapse in the communication chain between the tower and the flight crews [10].
"An Air India Express plane that had just landed from Siliguri had not yet cleared the runway when a Delhi-bound Air India aircraft was cleared to begin its take-off roll," MSN.com said [11]. No injuries or aircraft damage were reported following the aborted take-off [12].
“A potential runway collision was averted at Mumbai airport Tuesday night.”
This incident underscores the critical nature of runway incursions, which occur when an aircraft, vehicle, or person is incorrectly present on a runway. Because the aircraft were 'face-to-face,' the event points to a specific failure in the sequence of landing and take-off clearances. Aviation authorities will likely review the air traffic control logs to determine if the error was human or systemic, as such lapses in high-traffic environments like Mumbai can lead to loss of life.
