Delhi Airport Narrowly Avoids Chaos as Afghan Flight Lands on Wrong Runway
Image Source: Internet
A potentially disastrous situation unfolded at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday when an Ariana Afghan Airlines flight from Kabul landed on a runway already in use by another aircraft. The incident, which has sparked a probe, occurred when the A310 aircraft, operating flight FG-311, was mistakenly cleared to land on runway 29R instead of the assigned 29L. According to the pilot-in-command, the aircraft lost its Instrument Landing System (ILS) signal at around 4 nautical miles from the runway, forcing it to land visually. The ILS system, a precision radio navigation tool that helps planes land safely in poor visibility, malfunctioned after the Final Approach Fix, leading to the deviation. The pilot reported that the failure of the ILS guidance, combined with low visibility, caused the aircraft to unintentionally stray from its intended path. Despite the deviation, the pilot confirmed that he had been cleared for runway 29L and acknowledged the mistake only after landing. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched an investigation into the incident, with officials pointing to the ILS system failure as the primary cause of the runway deviation. While the incident highlights the importance of reliable navigation systems, it also underscores the need for effective communication between pilots and air traffic controllers to prevent such near-misses in the future.
