An early morning departure and arrival on Saturday at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport narrowly avoided a major mishap.
The incident involved an IndiGo flight landing and an Air India flight taking off for Thiruvananthapuram from the same runway. The Air India flight was still accelerating down the runway as the IndiGo flight descended.
As the plane approached, the Air India flight managed to take off, likely unaware of the other aircraft approaching from behind.
"On June 8, 2024, 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," an IndiGo representative told BT TV.
Air India in a statement said, "AI657 from Mumbai to Trivandrum was on take-off roll on June 8. The Air India aircraft was cleared by Air Traffic Control to enter the runway and subsequently cleared for take-off. The Air India aircraft continued with the take-off roll in accordance with laid down procedures. An investigation has been initiated by the authorities to find out more about the clearance given to the airlines."
DGCA has derostered the ATC staff involved in the incident. A source from DGCA explained to BT TV, "In busy airports, simultaneous operations are allowed, meaning the preceding aircraft must pass a certain distance from the runway."