How An Alert Vistara Pilot Saved Lives Of Over 300 Passengers At Delhi Airport

Aviation regulator DGCA said that an alert pilot in the Vistara aircraft crossing the runway alerted Air Traffic Control and another Vistara flight was ordered to abort take-off, averting a major disaster.

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A major tragedy was averted at the Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on August 23, 2023, when two Vistara flights came close to each other within 2 km, that too on the same runway. The two planes were carrying more than 300 passengers combined, and could have turned disastrous had it not been for the alertness of the pilot of one of the Vistara flights. As per a report on ANI, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has de-rostered an air traffic controller for inadvertently giving clearance for crossing and take off of two different aircraft on the same runway at the same time.

What Exactly Happened?

As per media and wire reports, the ATC at Delhi Airport cleared a Vistara aircraft for take-off while another plane was in the process of landing, placing the two flights on a potential collision trajectory. The incident involved Vistara Flight UK725 en route from Delhi to Bagdogra on Wednesday morning, initiating take-off from a recently inaugurated fourth runway of the Delhi Airport.

On the other hand, a Vistara plane VT1926 travelling from Ahmedabad to Delhi was concluding its landing on a parallel runway 29L and was instructed by the air traffic controller to cross runway 29R, moving towards the runway's end. "Momentarily, tower controller forgot this crossing and issued take off clearance to another Vistara flight VTI725 (Delhi–Bagdogra) from runway 29R."

"On realisation of the error based on input from VTI926, the tower controller instructed VTI725 to cancel take off," the official said. The take-off was swiftly cancelled following directives from the Air Traffic Control (ATC). "Swift corrective action followed as the tower controller promptly directed the Delhi-Bagdogra flight to abort its take-off," said an official.

Female Pilot Saved The Day

As per IANS, the female captain of the Ahmedabad to Delhi flight, which was on its way to landing, noticed that the Flight UK725 from Delhi to Bagdogra was given a go ahead by the ATC, as the parallel flight was getting ready to take-off. "She subsequently informed the ATC about it, averting a major tragedy," the sources added. A media report reveals the name of the female captain as 45-year-old Captain Sonu Gill on the Ahmedabad-Delhi flight.

The planes were only 1.8 km, or 1,800 metres apart, and if the pilot had not warned ATC of the presence of the other plane, the outcome could have been disastrous. The Delhi-Bagdogra flight was immediately retreated from the active runway after being ordered to abort its take-off and returned to its parking bay, where the plane was refuelled to ensure it had enough fuel for the second take-off attempt.