PILOTS AVERT MAJOR CRASH
CITY-BOUND SPICEJET PLANE, INDIGO JET COME FACE-TO-FACE ON DELHI RUNWAY
New Delhi, Dec. 27: Two fully-loaded passenger aircraft on Tuesday came face-to-face barely 40 metres away on the taxiway at the airport here but providentially a disaster was averted as commanders of both the planes alerted the air traffic control and switfly switched off their engines.
A departing Spice Jet aircraft found itself in front of an incoming IndiGo Airbus A320 in the same taxi way allegedly due to a miscommunication from the Air Traffic Controller (ATC).
The two aircraft together had 363 passengers — 176 on board Indigo flight and 187 on Spice Jet flight — when the incident took place early in the morning. “Spice Jet flight SG 123 operating in the Delhi-Hyderabad sector was following ATC instructions at all times at the Delhi airport. While taxiing, the Spice Jet crew observed another aircraft on the same taxiway in the opposite direction.
“Acting promptly, the Spice Jet crew immediately stopped the aircraft and intimated the ATC,” a Spice Jet spokesperson said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Indigo airlines said, “Following the Standard Operating Procedures, the Captain-in-Command took the decision of switching off the engine and reported the incident to ATC.”
New Delhi, Dec. 27: Two fully-loaded passenger aircraft on Tuesday came face-to-face barely 40 metres away on the taxiway at the airport here.
“Safety is of utmost and primary concern at SpiceJet,” the airlines said adding, “at no stage the safety of passengers and crew was compromised. All concerned authorities were immediately informed,” the statement said.
IndiGo also said it was following all ATC instructions at the time of the incident.
“The IndiGo flight 6E769 (Lucknow-Delhi), while taxiing in at Delhi airport today morning, observed another aircraft in front of it.
“Following the Standard Operating Procedures, the Captainin-Command took the decision of switching off the engine and reported the incident to ATC,” an IndiGo spokesperson said in the statement.
All 176 passengers along with the crew are safe. IndiGo flight was observing ATC instructions all the time at Delhi airport, the spokesperson added.
Aviation regulator DGCA has started its investigation into the incident but it has not taken any “action” against anyone in this regard, sources said.
Meanwhile, the DGCA has derostered an air traffic controller (ATC) for the incident.