An air traffic controller (ATC) has been suspended by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for being the cause of what could have been a fatal timing error. The said employee will remain off the roster till investigations into the matter are completed.
The incident came to light on 8 June 2024, when a video went viral showing an IndiGo flight landing at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) even while an Air India flight was still taking off from the same runway. Naturally, the two aircraft were too close to each other for comfort, and it was sheer luck that nothing untoward happened.
The pilots of the two airlines were only following the instructions of the ATC to land and take off. Given the high traffic at Mumbai airport, where about 40 aircraft land and take off every hour in a single runway, it was sheer good fortune that saved the lives of the passengers avoiding a collision.
The ATC Guild, however, maintains that technically, the landing and takeoff clearance to the two aircraft were given accurately, and that the time gap between two aircraft can be shortened in cases where the visibility is good. Also, as per rules, air traffic controllers are permitted to allow two landings and two take-offs within three minutes, provided all required conditions are met, including visibility, weather, traffic and so on.
Investigations into the incident are still on.
