A disaster was narrowly avoided at India’s second-busiest airport as two Airbus jets were involved in a runway incursion. This incident occurred between an Air India A319 and FlyArystan A320neo on February 22.
Near Disaster
Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) is India’s second-busiest after Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL). BOM is also the busiest single-runway airport in Asia. Mumbai Airport served just short of 44 million passengers between April 2022 and March 2023, representing a near-50% increase from the year prior. Since BOM is constantly bustling with action, air traffic controllers must perform at their best.
On the afternoon of February 22, a FlyArystan Airbus A320neo was taxiing out for its regularly scheduled departure back to Almaty, Kazakhstan (ALA) as flight KC 7858. The aircraft was registered EI-KBP, and it is currently unknown how many passengers it was carrying. FlyArystan is the low-cost subsidiary of Kazakh flag carrier Air Astana. It was the first-ever low-cost airline in Kazakhstan.
Mumbai Tower cleared KC 7858 to taxi to Runway 32 for departure via taxiway “Echo 1” (E1). However, as Flightradar24 playback data shows, the aircraft did not turn onto that taxiway. Instead, the A320neo proceeded onto taxiway “November 1” (N1) and crossed Runway 32.
As the FlyArystan jet crossed, Air India’s flight AI 969 was accelerating down the runway for its service to Doha, Qatar (DOH). The aircraft was an Airbus A319-100 registered VT-SCR. The Air India jet had reached a speed of 40 knots when the flight crew caught sight of the Kazakh A320neo. Upon noticing this, they immediately rejected the takeoff.
According to ADS-B data and as reported by Aviation Safety Network, the two aircraft were about 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) apart when KC7858 incorrectly crossed the runway. After vacating, AI969 taxied back to the passenger terminal apron. The aircraft did not dock back at the terminal but held on the ramp for another 90 minutes.
KC7858 departed off of Runway 32 at 10:00 UTC without issue. Later, AI969 taxied to Runway 27 and departed just after 11:00 UTC. Both aircraft landed safely at their respective destinations.
Other Recent Incidents
As described by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), runway incursions involve any occurrences in the airport runway environment involving an aircraft, vehicle, person, or object on the ground that creates a collision hazard. If such a hazard results in a loss of required separation with an aircraft taking off, intending to take off, landing, or planning to land, then this is classified as a runway incursion. These events have become more common recently.
One of the more notable examples in recent history involved an American Airlines Boeing 777 and Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 at New York’s JFK Airport. The Delta plane was accelerating down the runway for takeoff when the American aircraft incorrectly crossed in front of it. The 737 could decelerate and vacate, narrowly avoiding a collision with the 777.
That incident, along with this one involving the Air India A319 and FlyArystan A320neo, can be attributed to pilot error. Both times, the airport tower had instructed the flight crew on what taxiways to utilize on the way to the departure runway. However, the crews on both flights made the incorrect turns that led them onto the wrong taxiways and across an active runway.
