India’s aviation authority suspends air traffic control staff in Mumbai who were involved in near-collision between IndiGo and Air India with the Airbus A320neo

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is taking swift action as part of its investigation into the cause of the dangerous proximity of two Airbus A320neo aircraft at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) in Mumbai, India, on Saturday. On Sunday, the country’s aviation authority confirmed that it “removed from the roster” the air traffic control (ATC) personnel who were monitoring operations at the airport during the incident.

A video of the shocking near-miss went viral on social media, raising many questions about whether the pilots or air traffic control were to blame. Reports suggest that some people believe the air traffic control workers involved should face jail time for putting passengers at risk.

Relief for staff

Simple Flying first reported the incident on Saturday. In a statement seen by India TV News, the DGCA confirmed the dangerous situation and the suspension of the air traffic control staff.

“The DGCA has removed from its roster the ATC personnel involved in the incident at Mumbai airport, where an inbound IndiGo flight landed on runway 27 while an Air India flight was still taking off.”

Photo: BoeingMan777 | Shutterstock

A DGCA official also reportedly confirmed that an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the potentially catastrophic error. The aviation authority will also take new measures to prevent such incidents in the future.

About the incident

The aircraft affected are A320neo aircraft belonging to Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo and the country’s national carrier Air India. IndiGo’s A320neo, registration VT-ISV, was on flight 5053 from Indore. It was on approach to runway 27 and BOM and landed seconds after Air India’s A320neo – VT-RTS – skidded off the runway during takeoff to Thiruvananthapuram.

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According to The Aviation Herald, VT-ISV was approximately 1.75 nautical miles from the runway threshold and about 600 feet above the ground when VT-RTS reached the aligned position on the runway. The two aircraft approached each other to within about 2,130 feet (650 meters) before VT-RTS continued to gain altitude and increase its separation from VT-ISV.

Photo: BoeingMan777 | Shutterstock

IndiGo reported the incident to the DCG and confirmed that the crew of Flight 5053 had been cleared to land. The airline also said the pilots followed air traffic control instructions, allowing them to continue their approach and land. Air India also reported that Flight 657 had been cleared to enter the runway and continued its departure as per procedures.

“Air traffic control must go to prison for this”

Although a thorough investigation is still pending to determine the cause, many people have already commented on the incident on social media.

Abhijit Iyer-Mitra, a freelance writer, stated on X that the ATC officials responsible should go to jail.

“The most dangerous situation I have ever experienced at an Indian airport. I don’t know how it could have happened in Mumbai yesterday, but air traffic control should go to jail for this – unless the Indigo pilot disobeyed orders.”

The incident is the latest in a series of industry-wide near-misses in which air traffic control personnel are believed to be to blame. Just last week, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that near-collisions in Austin, Texas, and New York last year were caused by incorrect assumptions, multitasking and distraction by air traffic control personnel.

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