Air India and Air India Express planes avert runway collision in Mumbai
A potential runway collision was averted on Tuesday night at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai after an Air India flight and an Air India Express aircraft came face-to-face on the same runway.
The incident led to a brief disruption of flight operations at the airport but ended safely without any injuries or damage reported.
According to an official spokesperson for Air India, the Delhi-bound Air India flight stopped its departure sequence after receiving immediate instructions from Air Traffic Control. Upon aborting its takeoff, the aircraft returned to the airport bay.
After returning to the bay, the Delhi-bound aircraft underwent all the required safety inspections. The airline confirmed that these checks were carried out in strict accordance with standard operating procedures.
In the wake of the disruption, Air India made alternative travel arrangements to fly the affected passengers to Delhi at the earliest possible time.
It was not immediately clear how both the Air India flight and the Air India Express aircraft came to be positioned on the same runway at the same time. As of now, authorities have not released further details or official statements regarding the exact circumstances that led to the incident.
The episode briefly disrupted regular operations at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. However, the situation ended without an accident after Air Traffic Control intervened, successfully averting what could have been a serious runway mishap.
