A major aviation mishap was averted at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) when an Ariana Afghan Airlines flight from Kabul mistakenly landed on a runway designated exclusively for take-offs on Sunday afternoon. Officials have described the incident as a “miraculous escape.”
Ariana Afghan Airlines flight averts mishap
The Airbus A310, operating as Ariana Afghan Airlines flight FG 311 from Kabul, had been cleared to land on runway 29L. However, it touched down on runway 29R at around 12:06 pm on November 23, TOI reported. Notably, Runway 29R is typically reserved for departures, while 29L is used for incoming flights. A tragedy was averted as no aircraft was lined up on the runway at the time FG 311 touched, although another aircraft was scheduled to take off from 29R.
According to reports, the pilot has blamed bad weather and the Instrument Landing System (ISL) for the mistake. Meanwhile, aviation authorities have initiated a detailed investigation into the incident. “It’s a matter of investigation as how the flight landed at runway 29R. Either it was cleared by the ATC or pilot mistakenly logged in for runway 29R.” the officials said.
Earlier on November 10, a SpiceJet flight SG670, from Mumbai to Kolkata, made an emergency landing as it witnessed failure in one of the engines, Kolkata Airport officials said. However, the flight landed safely, with full emergency withdrawn at 11:38 pm.
