Sign in Subscribe
Airlines

Near-Miss at Chennai Airport: Three Aircraft Closer than Comfortable

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

A disturbing incident of near-collision involving three aircraft at the Chennai International Airport on Saturday morning, March 18, highlights the fragility of airport operations. A Jet Airways flight, carrying 120 passengers, was destined to take off from Runway 25 at 8:40 am but was forced to abort due to a critical error by air traffic control. The pilot of the Jet Airways flight halted takeoff as an Indigo aircraft had not vacated the far end of the runway. Meanwhile, an Air India flight from Delhi was on its way to land, only to do a "go-around" due to the Jet flight's presence on the runway. The Air India flight, carrying 160 passengers, hovered above the airport, increasing the risk of a catastrophic collision if the Jet aircraft had taken off.

Key Takeaways:

  • The incident occurred on March 18, with a Jet Airways flight scheduled to take off from Runway 25 at 8:40 am.
  • The pilot of the Jet Airways flight saw an Indigo aircraft had not vacated the far end of the runway, halting the takeoff.
  • An Air India flight from Delhi was on its way to land, being forced to do a "go-around" due to the Jet flight's presence on the runway.
  • The Air India flight, carrying 160 passengers, hovered above the airport, posing a significant risk of collision with the Jet aircraft.
  • A minimum distance of three miles is to be maintained between two aircraft in motion near Indian airports, with a recommended minimum of five to ten miles in Chennai.
  • The incident was attributed to a delay in vacating the runway by an Indigo flight that landed at 8:30 am.
  • The air traffic control's miscalculation in measuring the distance between the flights and time led to the problem.
  • DDevaraj, regional executive director of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), confirmed the incident was due to a delay in vacating the runway by the Indigo flight.

Statistics:

  • Three aircraft were involved in the near-miss incident: Jet Airways, Indigo, and Air India.
  • A total of 280 passengers were on board the three aircraft at the time of the incident (120 on the Jet Airways flight and 160 on the Air India flight).
  • The Air India flight carried a maximum of 160 passengers.
  • A minimum distance of three miles is recommended for separation between aircraft in motion near Indian airports.
  • The recommended minimum distance for Chennai airport is five to ten miles.
  • The delay in vacating the runway by the Indigo flight contributed to the miscalculation by air traffic control.

Sources:

  • "Near-miss at Chennai airport: Three aircraft come close for comfort" by TNN (no date specified)
  • Interview with D Devaraj, regional executive director of the Airports Authority of India
  • "Flight and Fright: How a snafu involving three aircraft could have led to a disaster" by TNN (no date specified)

Read more