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Afghan Air pilot lands on wrong runway at Delhi airport; probe ordered
The preliminary findings have found that there was no error on the part of the air traffic control (ATC) while instructing the aircraft to land
New Delhi: A major incident was averted at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Sunday when an Ariana Afghan Airlines aircraft landed on a wrong runway.
According to officials aware of the incident, Afghan Air’s flight FG-311 (an A310 aircraft) from Kabul was given clearance by Air Traffic Control (ATC) to land on runway 29L, which was being used for landings. The new parallel runway 29R was being used for take-offs. However, the flight landed on runway 29R.
“A written statement has been sought from the crew by the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) who is investigating the matter,” said an official.
The preliminary findings have found that there was no error on the part of the air traffic control (ATC) while instructing the aircraft to land and that the pilots had been asked to land on runway 29R, the correct one.
“The PIC (pilot-in-command) has acknowledged the clearance for runway 29L to the local air traffic control (ATC),” an official close to the matter said.
Another official said, “The pilot Capt Abdul Maroof Sikandari, when questioned, has stated that the aircraft was established on the ILS (Instrument Landing System) approach for 29L. He has said that after the final approach fix, both ILS systems malfunctioned. He has also attributed the incident to poor visibility and the loss of lateral guidance, due to which the aircraft deviated from the intended path.”
The Delhi airport manages over 1,200 flights daily and operates four runways: 27/09, 28/10 (both older runways), 29L/11R, and 29R/11L, with the newest runway becoming operational in 2023.
According to the cockpit crews’ statement, the pilots only became aware of the wrong-runway landing after they vacated the runway. “(ATC) tower informed the pilots that they had touched down on runway 29R instead of runway 29L,” a third official said, confirming that the crew attributed the deviation to ILS failure and low-visibility conditions.
Officials said statements from the flight crew are being examined. “The regulator is reviewing the sequence of events to understand how the misalignment occurred during the final approach,” the official said.
