Mumbai: A catastrophic aviation disaster was narrowly averted at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) on Tuesday evening when two aircraft belonging to the Air India group ended up on the single primary runway at the same time. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has taken strict cognisance of the matter and has launched a high-level inquiry into the incident.
The incident occurred at approximately 9.40pm on Tuesday on Mumbai Airport’s primary Runway 27. Air India Express flight IX-1547, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 arriving from Siliguri, had just touched down and was still in the process of rolling out and vacating the active strip. Simultaneously, Air India flight AI-816, a massive, widebody Boeing 777-300ER bound for Delhi, entered the exact same runway and was cleared to begin its take-off roll.
As the Boeing 777 rapidly gathered momentum down the runway, the active Air Traffic Control tower realised the impending hazard. Air India Express’s aircraft had not yet cleared the safety margins of the runway. Recognising that both aircraft were on the same strip facing each other, the ATC controller immediately transmitted an urgent command to the Delhi-bound flight crew to abort their take-off.
The Air India pilots reacted instantly, slamming the brakes and aborting the take-off run mid-runway at a critical speed of approximately 60 knots (roughly 111 km/h). According to aviation experts the rejection happened at a relatively low speed -- below the typical V1 decision speed where a take-off can no longer be safely abandoned -- the pilots managed to decelerate the widebody aircraft smoothly, avoiding any tire bursts or brake overheating. No injuries to passengers or crew were reported on either flight.
Following the aborted maneuver, the Air India aircraft taxied back to the parking bay, where it underwent mandatory, rigorous technical and safety inspections in line with standard operating procedures. After being cleared by engineering teams, flight AI-816 finally pushed back and departed Mumbai at 3.10am and landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport at 4.48am.
According to sources, the DGCA has initiated an inquiry into the incident targeting the Air Traffic Control (ATC) controller on duty during the close call. The inquiry is said to examine data logs, radar playbacks, and ATC audio recordings to pinpoint how the coordination failure occurred at one of the world's busiest single-runway operations. Aviation experts pointed toward an ATC sequencing oversight, as line-up clearance should not have been issued to the departing aircraft while the landing flight was occupying the strip.
An Air India spokesperson confirmed the incident, stating that the crew discontinued the take-off run after receiving an instruction to do so from the ATC and returned to the bay. "Air India regrets the inconvenience caused to passengers due to this unforeseen situation. The safety and well-being of our passengers remain our top priority."
Notably, a similar incident had happened at Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 24 after an Air India flight ended up coming face-to-face with an IndiGo aircraft after taking a wrong turn on the taxiway. In June 2024, a similar major disaster was averted at Mumbai Airport when an IndiGo aircraft landed on the runway while an Air India aircraft was rolling for take-off just 2,000 feet away. The incident had resulted in derostering of the ATC controller.
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