The Air Traffic Controllers' Guild (India) (ATC) on Sunday released a statement explaining the nature of controllers' jobs and how media scrutiny puts extra stress on them.
The statement from the ATC Guild comes a day after a video of Mumbai Airport's runway 27 took the internet by storm, depicting an inbound IndiGo flight landing while an Air India flight was still in the process of taking off.
The jaw-dropping video of the incident has divided netizens over the ATC staff's decision to give clearance for landing.
Some users described it as a well-coordinated exercise while others blamed ATC staff for endangering the lives of hundreds.
After the video went viral, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered an investigation into the matter.
According to ANI, later on Sunday, the DGCA derostered the ATC staff involved in the incident.
The statement issued by the ATC Guild mentioned that Mumbai Airport's runway 27 sees approximately 46 arrivals and departures per hour.
The statement highlighted that ATCs are authorised to clear up to two arrivals and two departures within three minutes, provided safety limits are met. Additionally, the separation minima between two aircraft can be reduced if the visibility is good, allowing for more efficient management of air traffic.
Commenting on the recent incident at Mumbai Airport, the statement said, "The visibility was good and there was no air prox situation with respect to the landing IndiGo flight and the taking off Air India flight."
Reacting to the frenzy created by the video of the incident, the ATC Guild said, "This may be a 'wow' moment for onlookers, but for those who perform this safety-critical task daily, it is part of their duty for which they are rigorously trained. The ATC has the discretion to allow arrival and departure within a few minutes on the same runway, especially at high-density airports."
The Guild state further that, this responsibility places ATCs under significant pressure.
The DGCA probe will investigate whether all norms were adhered to by both the ATCs and the pilots involved. It is important to note that if there had been any safety risk during the landing, the pilot would have initiated a Go-Around.
"Had there been a safety risk for landing, the pilot himself would have initiated a Go-Around. Media trials put extra stress on working controllers, as the nature of job itself comes with
risk at every clearance which is done under acceptable limits of safety. We hope with this atleast some more awareness will come in people at large about why ATC is called one of the most stressful job in the world," the statement read further.
