DNA: Analysis of the Indigo-Air India Near-Miss Accident at Mumbai Airport

In the early hours of Saturday, IndiGo flight 5053, arriving from Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport (IDR), was landing 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 take-off created a hazardous situation that could have resulted in a major accident. In today's DNA, Pratyush Khare analyses the near-miss accident. 

Taking place at the Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, it seems like the planes are performing stunts. In the video, you will see these planes appearing far apart, but their distance is only a matter of seconds. Here, Indigo and Air India flights are landing and taking off on the same runway.

DNA : एक रनवे...दो प्लेन...बस बच गए. रनवे पर दो प्लेन देख थम गई सांसें #DNA #MumbaiAirport @pratyushkkhare pic.twitter.com/WEiWhXevi8 — Zee News (@ZeeNews) June 10, 2024

Now, imagine if the first plane had delayed its take-off by a few seconds, both flights could have collided. A major accident could have happened. The Indigo plane had landed in Mumbai from Indore, and the Air India plane was taking off for Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport has two runways, but only one runway can operate at a time because the two runways cross each other. More than 1,000 flights operate from these two runways every day. That means that every one and a half minutes, either a plane is taking off or landing. The constant use of only two runways and the high number of flights always pose a risk of accidents.

After the incident of two planes approaching the same runway at the same time, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has started an investigation into the matter. Additionally, an Air Traffic Control officer has been suspended.