DGCA orders probe after Air India 777 aborts takeoff to avoid Air India Express on Mumbai runway

DGCA Initiates Inquiry After Air India Boeing 777 Aborts Takeoff At 60 Knots To Avoid Air India Express Jet On Runway

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.Wet Tarmac, Night Conditions, Tight Intervals: Mumbai's Single Runway Drawback Pops Again With Latest Air India Near-MissThe 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.Mumbai Airport Runway Scare: Air India Plane Aborts Take-off After ATC Detects Air India Express Aircraft On RunwayAn 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.To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/

1 hour ago

Wet Tarmac, Night Conditions, Tight Intervals: Mumbai's Single Runway Drawback Pops Again With Latest Air India Near-Miss

Nearmisses are tales of terrifying lapses and yet fortunate enough to not end in catastrophic consequences. Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) had one such experience again narrowly averting a major aviation disaster when two aircraft from the same parent group ended up on Runway 27 at the same time.At approximately 9:40 PM on Tuesday, Air India flight AI816, a Boeing 777-300ER bound for Delhi, commenced its take-off roll on Runway 27 while Air India Express flight AIX1547, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 from Siliguri, was still vacating the same strip. Air Traffic Control spotted the simultaneous occupancy and ordered the departing wide-body aircraft to abort its take-off, bringing the plane to a safe halt with no reported injuries or structural damage.Infrastructure constraintThe incident has once again highlighted the intense operational pressures governing Mumbai’s aviation hub, which functions effectively as a single-runway airport due to its intersecting runway design. To maximise capacity and process up to 46 movements per hour, controllers routinely deploy reduced separation protocols. This system permits a departure to begin rolling while a landed aircraft is still clear of the centreline but not yet entirely off the runway, leaving an exceptionally narrow margin for operational variance.Monsoon factorWeather conditions during the July monsoon heavily compound these baseline structural risks. Wet tarmac reduces braking friction, while poor visibility forces pilots to taxi at lower speeds when looking for exit taxiways. When an arriving aircraft delays its exit by even 15 seconds, the pre-calculated safety buffer utilised by air traffic controllers is eliminated, frequently forcing high-speed aborts or late go-arounds.Historical separation failuresThis week's event closely mirrors a major near-miss on June 8, 2024, when an IndiGo flight touched down on Runway 27 just as an Air India jet lifted off, resulting in the immediate suspension of the duty controller. Similar heavy-rain runway excursions occurred in July 2025 with an Air India Airbus A320 and in July 2019 with a SpiceJet Boeing 737, both of which skidded off the active strip, highlighting how moisture drastically alters Mumbai's tight runway timing.Global yardstickWhen looked at through the safety rules used by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which sets the global benchmark for air safety, the Mumbai incident broke the standard rulebook for commercial passenger jets. For large jets like the Boeing 777 and Boeing 737 involved here, the rule is simple is a departing plane cannot legally start its take-off run until the landing plane ahead of it is completely off the runway. The FAA does not allow any exceptions or "close-enough" distances when dealing with two massive passenger liners, making the simultaneous presence of both jets on Runway 27 a direct breach of standard safety boundaries. Flaw in guessing the timingInternational rules do let controllers use something called 'anticipated separation', essentially, giving a take-off clearance based on the expectation that the landing plane will exit the runway just in time. However, the rule states that if that expectation misses the mark by even a second, the controller must cancel the clearance before the departing plane starts moving. In Mumbai, this predictive timing perhaps failed as the landing Air India Express flight didn't exit as fast as expected.Night and rain restrictionsFinally, global safety agencies put strict limits on playing with these tight timing margins when conditions are bad. The FAA explicitly states that one must abandon compressed timing sequences if the runway is wet or if it is night time. Only a proper probe, which the Directorate General of Civial Aviation has already ordered, will find out if the fundamental safety baselines that international regulators enforce to prevent catastrophic runway incursions were violated.

6 hours ago