The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Mumbai): On June 9, a potentially dangerous situation unfolded at Mumbai Airport when an IndiGo plane landed and an Air India aircraft took off from the same runway within a minute. This incident has prompted a probe by the aviation regulator DGCA and led to the derostering of the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) on duty at the time.
A video shared on social media captured the close call, showing IndiGo flight 6E 6053 landing just as an Air India flight took off. The DGCA is investigating the incident, and IndiGo has also initiated an internal probe. “We are conducting a probe and have already de-rostered the ATCO involved in the incident,” a DGCA official stated.
Mumbai Airport operates with a single runway, handling over 850 flights per day with around 46 arrivals and departures per hour on runway RW27. IndiGo confirmed that their aircraft continued its approach and landing based on ATC instructions. “On June 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,” IndiGo said in a statement, emphasizing their commitment to passenger safety.
According to an Airports Authority of India (AAI) source, departing aircraft are required to clear the end of the runway or take a turn before the ATC can issue landing clearance for arriving aircraft. “However, in this case, this was allegedly not followed,” the source added.
The ATC Guild clarified that there was “no air prox” situation, meaning there was no risk of collision. They highlighted that ATCs operate under significant pressure, especially at high-density airports like Mumbai. “The tower controller is allowed to reduce separation minima between two aircraft if reasonable assurance has been established by visualizing both aircraft,” the Guild stated.
Mumbai Airport, promoted by the Adani Group and AAI, announced earlier this year that it would handle 8% more air traffic movements during the summer schedule, starting from March 29. This increase in traffic contributes to the high-pressure environment for ATCs.
The ATC Guild emphasized that the visibility was good during the incident, allowing for reduced separation minima. They noted that ATCs can clear up to two arrivals and two departures within three minutes under standard operating procedures, provided specific conditions are met. “Had there been a safety risk, the pilot himself would have initiated a go around,” the Guild asserted.
The DGCA’s probe will examine whether all norms were followed by the ATC and the pilots involved. “ATCs are under significant pressure when there is high-density traffic at airports with the safety of aircraft and passengers,” the Guild reiterated.